


Quest For Solo

by Aayla Barton (edinburgh_en_la_tardis)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Banter, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Force Ghost(s), Force Visions, M/M, POV Rey (Star Wars), Plotty, Poe Dameron/Finn Fluff, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Self-Harm, Star Wars References, Star Wars: Rebels Spoilers, The Dark Side of the Force, Uncle Chewie, Weird Plot Shit, kiss already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:42:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25942303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edinburgh_en_la_tardis/pseuds/Aayla%20Barton
Summary: Picking up exactly where Rise of Skywalker left it. Rey can no longer avoid dealing with her feelings about what happened on Exegol and the loss she has experienced. But she is in for a surprise…maybe there is a reason why her connection to Ben Solo is not gone, even if she cannot reach him on the other side.I had in my head the end that I wanted for Rey, Ben & the crew and I worked the rest backwards. Plot heavy, starts slow and then builds up to include: lots of angst, lots of banter, sweet sweet fluff and some smut, in-depth exploration of Bendemption, Rey and Rose being friends because we were robbed, Force Ghosts delivering unexpected information & snark, a weird planet, Uncle Chewie having all the feels, Force metaphysics I have probably misunderstood, an unexpected use for Luke's blanket in ANH and...did I mention the angst?Cave of Dagobah, but make it sexy ;)I have tried to make it as canon compliant as possible, including lots of easter eggs and little details from the Wookiepedia. So, minor spoilers for Clone Wars season 3 and general spoiler warning for Sequel-era comics & additional material, plus Star Wars Rebels.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey & Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. A Night On Tatooine

Rey stared as the twin suns rose above the sandy horizon. The silence was sepulchral, even the happy beeping from BB-8 had stopped for a moment. Catching a glimpse of Luke and Leia, now together in the Force, had filled her with joy. They seemed so peaceful, yet strong. They were dead, but they were with her, not as part of the Cosmic Force that binds everything together, but as individuals that cared for her and had welcomed her into their own family. She was now a Skywalker, if not by blood, certainly in name…but oh how she wished she was not the only one.

She felt a wave of sadness invade her, and she tried to push it aside. It had been about a month since the battle of Exegol and she should have learned by now to avoid thinking about his smile, that smile that burned her soul with the fire of a thousand suns. She had found plenty of distractions: there was much work to be done, a New Republic to re-build. There was Jedi training to complete, she had even constructed her own lightsaber. Part of her still couldn’t believe that she had managed to do it in such relatively short time, but she had been diligent and had the Jedi texts and the spirits of her Masters to guide her. She still felt a sparkle of pride and surprise every time she saw the golden blade.

There were also the Skywalker lightsabers, now belonging to nobody. She had been realistic: they were too powerful weapons, filled with too much history. They should be stored hidden and safe, waiting for the right person, should they ever appear. Keeping them with her was not an option, burying them in the Organa/Solo Memorial was too obvious. She seriously considered Naboo, but its link to Leia and Luke through their mother was fairly well documented in the historical archives, and its connection to Sheev Palpatine made her uneasy. In the end, she had decided on the Lars farm in Tatooine. It was not Jakku, but the sea of sand felt reassuring all the same. Plus, though Luke had been raised there, it had no connection to Leia, so it might just be overlooked by any potential scavengers. << It takes a scavenger to avoid a scavenger >>, she thought. Indeed, by the look of it, the farm had barely been touched in 30 years’ time. << If it was good to hide Luke from his father, it should be good enough to hide the lightsabers. If only B- >>

She did not let herself finish that thought. Another wave of sadness invaded her, and she tried to focus on the memory of Luke and Leia, smiling at her. They always seemed so real, so present. They were not dead, not in any meaningful way. She had seen Luke catch his lightsaber, talk to her, raise his old X-wing. What even was the difference between Force spirit and good old regular _living_?

“No need for food, I guess” she said, without realising that she was speaking out loud.

BB-8 replied with a confused beep.

“Never mind me” said Rey, caressing one of his little antennae. “I am already turning into a crazy old Jedi.”

The thought of food made her stomach rumble. She had been so lost in thought that she had forgotten how hungry she was. For a moment, she considered going back to the ship, but a _feeling_ made her want to stay a bit longer in the Lars homestead. Luckily she had brought some supplies with her.

“Chewie, Rose?” Her comlink crackled with background noise for a second.

“Rey!” the familiar, cheerful voice of Rose sounded back. “Ready to come back?”

“Actually, not really…I am sorry to change plans last minute, but would it be ok if I spend the day here and meet you guys tomorrow morning?”

“Of course!” An annoyed wookie groaned in the background, but Rey and Rose pretended not to hear him. “Do whatever you feel you must do. As long as you think it is safe…”

“I am a Jedi, Rose.” Rey tried to sound cheerful. “It will be fine!”

****

Late at night, Rey found herself meditating inside one of the rooms that were still partly accessible despite the accumulation of sand. Her back rested against the cold wall. She had spent the day looking through whatever have been left in the farm, not knowing exactly what she was searching for. It had been silly to waste a day like this. << I’m falling back into old habits. >> She had wasted years waiting in Jakku for her dead parents, and now, after everything she had been through, she was back on a desert planet, waiting for someone she loved that could never come back. She did not feel accomplished, or wise, or victorious…just tired and lonely. The happiness from seeing Leia and Luke was but a faint echo. << Kriff, why didn’t I go with Chewie and Rose? >>

Despite her better judgement, she let her mind wander for the first time in what seemed like ages. Back to his eyes, his smile, the feeling of his lips meeting hers. The memory was almost electric, and Rey felt a surge of heat traverse her body. Her heart ached like an open wound, sadness mixed with longing. She could still feel their connection, the dyad bond that she had shared with Ben. She could not understand why the bond still lingered, but Ben wasn’t there. She tried tugging at their connection, searching for the end of the bond. Maybe Ben would still be there, or maybe she would find the severed end of the connection.

<< Ben. >>

She kept pulling…

<< Be with me, Ben. >>

…finding no end, and no Ben, just darkness. Like a black hole, about to swallow her.

<< Ben! Please!! >>

The darkness rose, and she felt fear. It was thick and claustrophobic, like swimming in a lake of fuel. Unbearable heat emanated from outside the cave. He could touch nothing, but felt _everything,_ like a million needles piercing his skin, like an explosion about to atomise his body from the inside. Yet, hidden deep within the darkness, there were two spots of light, small but bright. _Waiting_. Time froze, but the pain was too much, and she retreated, the coldness of the room filling her soul. She heard a guttural sound, and realised that it came from her. For the first time since hugging Poe and Finn after returning to Ajan Kloss, she let herself cry, and tears filled her eyes. She never wanted to feel like that, ever again. So utterly alone, whole and broken at the same time. Kriff, she missed him so much.

Rey had lost track of how long she had been crying for when a small sparkle of a thought started emerging through the layers of sadness in her brain.

The night of Tatooine felt cool, not scalding hot. The air was fresh. The pain was not hers.

It was _his._

Ben Solo was not alive, but he was not dead either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Hope you enjoyed that first chapter, even if it is a bit slow and brooding because well...that's Rey's headspace at the moment. I would really appreciate your feedback because this is my first time completing and publishing a fic, and even if I am fluent in English it is not my first language :)


	2. Explanations Are In Order

“Rose! Rose!” Rey reached the _Millennium Falcon_ as the first rays of lights appeared on the horizon. “Tell Chewie to get the _Falcon_ ready to leave immediately.”

“Good morning to you too.” A smirking Rose Tico appeared on the boarding ramp. “Lucky for you, we got a transmission from our fearless General instructing us to meet him in Chandrila ASAP. We are ready to go, just waiting for you.”

<< What has got into Poe now? >>. Rey and the hot-headed-pilot-turned-general got on like gnaw-jaw and ripper-raptor on the best of days.

“I don’t have time to go to Chandrila now! There is something I need to do!”

Rose raised an eyebrow.

“While I am always game to mess with Poe, he sounded pretty concerned. What would be so important that you couldn’t put aside to help a friend?”

<< You see, the Evil Supreme Leader that almost killed us several times and is somewhat responsible for your sister’s death was my soul mate and he was actually _good_ and sacrificed himself to bring me back to life. Except he might not be dead after all and now it is my turn to save him. >>

“It’s…complicated.” Rey tried to avoid Rose’s eyes as she got comfortable on the _Falcon_ ’s cockpit. “Jedi stuff.”

“Jedi stuff. Right. Do you even know where you need to go do your Jedi stuff? Maybe we could drop you on the way?”

“Eeeh.” Rey turned to BB-8 looking for inspiration and got nothing. “I don’t _really_ know where I am supposed to go, to be honest.”

Chewie let out a familiar exasperated growl.

“Chewie is right” said Rose. “If you don’t know where you have to go, you may as well go to Chandrila and help Poe. You can figure the rest along the way.”

Rey sank in the pilot’s chair. She had a feeling that Chandrila was in the opposite direction of where she had to be. But, as per usual, Rose was right and there was no arguing with the facts.

“Chandrila it is. Off we go.”

****

Once they had jumped to hyperspace, Rey left Chewie in charge of the _Falcon_ and sat down next to Rose in the lounge. She had barely slept or eaten anything for at least 24 hours. She let her hair fall loose on her shoulders and made an attempt to lie down to sleep, using Rose’s lap as a pillow, but her friend had other ideas.

“So, are you gonna tell me what got you so worked up? Did something happen yesterday while you were visiting Luke’s old home?”

Rey hesitated.

“I am just….I am not sure where to start. It is Jedi business. But it is also personal stuff. Some of it I should have told you guys ages ago, but I was afraid you would…take it badly. That you would be ashamed of me. Now, it has been so long that I feel you might be upset anyway because I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“You are so silly” said the mechanic, with a gentle smile. “We are family. There is nothing you could say that would change everything that we have been through together. And we could not be prouder of you, Jedi Master Rey, hero of Exegol.”

“I guess I should start there. I didn’t defeat Palpatine on my own…”

Rey’s stomach growled remarkably loudly.

“Kerabast Rey, when was the last time that you ate something? If we are going to have a serious conversation, let me prepare us some food first.”

Rey opened her mouth to refuse, but the growling intensified. Rose was already on her feet, warming up some waffles that she had acquired at some point while Rey was away. She produced some interesting-looking creamy blue sauce, and the sight made Rey’s mouth water. She decided that confessions could wait until the feast was over, and proceeded to devour the food as soon as the plate touched the table. The waffles were indeed delicious.

“Rose, I don’t know how you do it, these are incredible. One day you should teach me to…”

The urge to vomit caught Rey mid-sentence and she had to rush to the refresher. << Kriff, what is wrong with me?! What is Rose going to think?! >>

“Rey! Are you ok? Are you sick?!”

“It’s…ok…” she struggled to reply. Rose held her hair up until there was no food left in her stomach. “I don’t know what’s up with me recently, breakfast just doesn’t agree with me.”

“C’mon, big girl.” Rose chuckled. “What’s next? You telling you have morning sickness?”

Rey sat on the floor, exhausted.

“Morning sickness?”

“You know, when human females get pregnant they often feel nauseous in the mornings, particularly early in the pregnancy…”

<< Wait. >>

“Rose?” Rey felt a pit in her stomach. “If you were pregnant, how would you know?”

Rose’s eyes open wide.

“Kriff Rey, how do you not…?” She put her hands over her mouth. “Oh, I am such an idiot. Scavenger in the desert. Did no one ever explain…?” She took a deep breath. “Ok, let’s recap. You know how you bleed approximately every month? Do you remember the last time that happened?”

“We were still in Ajan Kloss, I had been training with Leia…” Rey felt the pit in her stomach deepen. << It should have happened again by now. >>

“Ok ok ok…” Rose started pacing up and down the corridor. “Have you…you know…got _lucky_ …romantically…with a guy? Is there someone you haven’t told me about?”

The pit in Rey’s stomach was now a gaping void.

“We kissed!” Her heart was racing just thinking about it. “We kissed! I am so sorry Rose, this is partly what I needed to talk to you about!”

Rose looked at her with a deadly serious face and then broke out in laughter. It took her a solid five minutes before she was able to string two words together.

“Varp, you had me there for a second. You would need to do a lot more than kissing to be in any sort of risk. Calm down, there is no way you are pregnant. But who was the lucky chap?”

But Rey was not listening to her anymore. A tall, handsome man surrounded in a bluish glow had appeared behind Rose.

“I’m afraid that in this case, your friend is very, _very wrong_.”

Rey recognised his voice immediately. He had been with her in Exegol, encouraging her.

The Chosen One.

“Rose, I don’t mean to freak you out, but the spirit of Anakin Skywalker is right behind you.”

“What?”

“The Force acts in mysterious ways. For example, due to Palpatine’s manipulations, my mother became pregnant without being intimate with any man. I was born with no father.”

“Rey? What is he saying?”

Rey ignored her friend. She couldn’t take her eyes off Skywalker and the words coming out of his mouth. She felt a knot in the back of her throat.

“In your case, in the process of sharing your life force with my grandson you have become pregnant with his children.” As Anakin continued talking, Rey felt her knees weaken and all colour left her face. “My grandson gave up his life so that his beloved would live, and in doing so he succeeded where I failed”.

“Last night I felt his presence! How can this be? Is he really alive?!”

Anakin opened his mouth to reply, but the image flickered for a moment and then the spirit disappeared. _< < _We need your help _> > _Rey heard his voice say.

“Rey! Control calling Rey! What just happened?”

Rey sat there, completely shell-shocked. Eventually she was able to raise her eyes slowly and look at her friend.

“I am pregnant. I think it is twins.” She took a deep breath. “Ben Solo is the father.”

“WHAT??!!”

***

By the time they arrived to Chandrila, Rey had been able to give Rose a complete account of everything that happened between her and Ben. Her friend had certainly tried to be sympathetic, but Rey could tell that Rose was holding her tongue on what she really thought. Rey struggled to think of him as Kylo Ren anymore, but she realised that other people might not be able to look past the mask and actions of the Supreme Leader of the First Order. For this very reason, Rey was not ready to tell anyone else about her relationship with Ben Solo just yet, and they did not speak about any of it in front of Chewie. Once the pregnancy became more obvious, Rey would need to come up with a good explanation for it, but that would be a problem for future Rey. Present-day Rey was still processing it. Most of the time she felt that it was happening to someone else, or that Anakin would appear again as a Force spirit to tell her it had all been a dream. Only when she felt nauseous or caught Rose looking at her with a worried expression in her face did Rey recognise that she was really pregnant.

Overall, the atmosphere aboard the _Falcon_ felt awkward and cold, and Rey was glad to get off the ship at the New Republic Space Port in Chandrila. A fresh face was nervously waiting for them at their assigned bay.

“Colonel Tico! Jedi Rey!” Rey calculated that the human in front of them was barely 16 years old. They were tall, thin, and their very long hair was bright orange and held in an unkept ponytail. Their brown eyes opened wide when they saw Chewbacca. “Colonel…Colonel…” The wookie let out a playful roar meant to scare the newbie a bit.

“Rey, Chewie and Rose will do” said Rose quickly. “And you are…?”

“Nyx Holdo, ma’am”. Rey raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask, Nyx added very quietly. “She was my aunt.” Chewie groaned his condolences and put a hand on their shoulder. Nyx jumped with surprise, but their face was still beaming with pride by the time they reached the small conference room in the New Republic House of Governance Buildings, where General Dameron was waiting for them.

Poe seemed to have aged five years in one month. War and battle suited him far better than politics. Despite their differences, Rey was genuinely happy to see him. However, she was even happier to see Finn, who jumped from his chair to give her a big hug. Following the battle of Exegol, Finn, Jannah and other ex-Stormtroopers had been travelling around the galaxy, reaching out to soldiers that had been taken by the First Order as kids so that they would put down their weapons and surrender peacefully. They had kept busy and Rey had barely seen him.

<< You are also at fault for this. >> Deep down, Rey knew that his many travels were only part of the problem. She had avoided being alone with him: she knew that there was something important that he wanted to tell her, but she dreaded to know. He and Rose had been a couple for a brief period of time following the battle of Crait, but things had not worked out between them and Rose was still hurting about it. Rey had heard the rumours that this was because Finn had feelings for her, and she really hoped that this was not true. For Rose’s sake, and also because it was already going to be difficult enough to tell him that she had fallen in love with the man that almost killed him.

Rey felt Finn tense under her embrace. He separated a bit and stared at her up and down, eyes wide open and face full of surprise. Finally, he asked: “Are you pregnant??!”

“What?!” shouted Poe.

*WHAT?!* roared Chewie.

“How can you know?” asked Rey, forgetting all pretences.

“So you are?!”

“Nyx, please leave us” said Rose calmly, closing the door in the face of the new recruit.

“Rose, how can you be so chill about it?!” asked Finn. “Oh.” Realisation dawned on him. “You already knew about it!”

“I found out at the same time as she did, as we were coming back from Tatooine.”

Chewie roared again, disappointed.

<< On hindsight, we probably should have told Chewie >>. Rey inhaled and hoped that the Force would guide her words. “OK everyone, I will explain everything, but you need to let me talk all the way to the end.” She looked around at her friends. << Will we still be friends after I am done talking? >> Only one way to find out.

“I am very sorry, but there are several things I haven’t been completely honest about. The first is what happened on Snoke’s _Supremacy_ right before the battle of Crait. You think that I went there to fight Kylo Ren and Snoke….but actually I went there to try to turn Kylo, or I should say, Ben Solo, to the Light. I thought I could succeed where Han and Leia had failed because there was a connection between us.”

Finn’s face went pale upon hearing this, and Rey noticed Poe’s hands gripping the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles were white. She looked away and continued on. The words trickled out of her mouth, unsure at first, but soon she was pouring out her heart, glad that the time for secrets was finally over. Ahch-To, the _Supremacy_ …the memories rushed back. She barely registered several loud gasps that accompanied her confession, focused as she was how it had felt to touch Ben, to fight side by side him…

But when the moment came to talk about Kef Bir, Rey doubted for a second and looked at her friends. Poe’s face was inscrutable but his eyes were still focused on her, whereas Finn moved his face away and clenched his fists the moment he felt Rey’s gaze on him. Rey felt her eyes water and held back the tears, forcing herself to continue talking. “Leia knew she was dying, and she used her last strengths to reach her son, just like Luke did to save us on Crait. Ben was about to strike, but it worked. He stopped. He understood her sacrifice, and that she had not stopped loving him after all this time, despite everything he had done.” Rey took another deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t stop. I let hatred guide me, and I pierced Ben with my lightsaber. The moment I did it, I realised I had made a terrible mistake. If he had died, Leia’s sacrifice would have been in vain. And I would have hated myself for ever and fallen irrevocably to the Dark Side. But the Force had other plans for us. I was able to transfer some of my life essence to Ben and his wound was healed, even though it should have killed him. I saved him, despite him being the Supreme Leader of the First Order, despite everything that he had done to everyone I cared about. Despite everything he had done to _you_.” Finn was still not looking at her, focused instead on a point on the wall behind her, but Rose had tears streaming down her face and even Poe’s unmoved expression had changed slightly upon mentioning the late General Organa.

“I saved Ben Solo, and I realised I loved him. And then I ran away to Ahch-To, because how could I call myself a Jedi after what I had done, knowing what I knew about my family? You know more or less what happened next. I went to Exegol and past Jedi came to me and helped me defeat the Emperor. But what you don’t know is that the effort killed me.” Rey looked up again, and thought that a shadow passed through Finn’s face. “You also don’t know that I wasn’t alone on Exegol. Ben was there too, and he had renounced the Dark Side. We fought against Palpatine side by side, and when I died, he healed me like I had healed him on Kef Bir. Except the effort was too great, and it killed him.” At this point, Rey could not hold back the tears. “I now have this… _emptiness_ inside. He is dead, but the bond is still there. And when I was on Tatooine I felt something…I don’t think he is really gone.”

She choked on those last words, and Rose finished the story for her. “While we were on the _Falcon_ , the spirit of Anakin Skywalker appeared to her. Not that I could see him. But he told her that whatever they did with all the Force healing has got her pregnant with twins.”

Rey did not hear the last bit because a humongous ball of fur got hold of her. At first Rey thought Chewie was trying to crush her ribs, but then the pressure released a bit and she felt warm tears rain on her head and down her back. Together they cried for Han, Leia and Ben, and without him saying anything or using the Force, Rey knew that Chewbacca would protect her children with his life if necessary. After minutes that felt like ages, Chewie separated enough so that Rey could see her friends’ faces. Rose was also emotional, despite having heard the story once before and her own feelings about Ben Solo. Poe’s face was a cypher, and he looked away to avoid Rey’s gaze. But Finn…

“How could you do this to us?” he said. “How could you hide all this from us? How could you love him? You carry the children of a murderer.” He took a step towards her, and Rey felt her heart break to pieces. << I have lost him. >> Chewie took a step towards him as well, and groaned menacingly.

“ENOUGH!” Poe’s voice resounded through the little conference room. “As a friend, I feel betrayed, like I am sure everyone else does.” Chewie groaned again. “Most of us. As a General, I am fairly sure I could put together a case against you for treason and conspiracy.” Rey felt Chewie’s muscles tense. “But in the end, what matters is that you two killed Snoke and defeated the Emperor. You helped save the galaxy, and that is all I care about.”

“Poe! She fell in love with Kylo Ren! The man that tortured you! The man that-”

Poe interrupted Finn. “The man that was General Leia’s son. Whom herself was daughter to Darth Vader, whose name still inspires dread throughout the galaxy. The Emperor’s right hand, who turned against his master to save his son.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t pretend to understand the Force. That was Leia’s thing, as it is now Rey’s. Magical healing, pregnancies without sex, mind tricks, shooting lightning from your hands….None of that makes any sense to me. I am just a regular guy who is good at flying, trying to look after the regular folk like me. I am angry, and I am hurt, and a year ago I would have wanted Rey’s head on a pike. But who would that help?”

Poe let the question linger for a second in the quiet room. “The galaxy needs her to deal with any Force-related threats. We need her to train the next Jedi. More importantly, we need her to stay on the Light side of the Force and be one of the good guys.” Rey felt a chill down her spine. His dark, deep eyes were now fixed on her. “As long as you do that, it is irrelevant to me whom you fall in love with. You may as well have sexual fantasies with Kylo Ren with or without his mask, or with dearly departed Armitage Hux. I don’t give a shit.”

“But-”

“Understood” said Rey coolly, cutting Finn off. The thought of her and Hux made her skin crawl.

“And, on that note, we have lost enough time on personal matters. Talking about issues with the Force, Finn has something to show you.” Poe made a sign for Finn to turn on the holoprojector, but he didn’t move.

“I am not sure we should show this to Rey. How can we trust her anymore?”

“Finn.” Poe sounded exasperated. “Do you know of any other trained Jedi that can help us?”

Finn opened and closed his mouth, and then pressed the button of the holoprojector. A swampy green planet appeared in front of them. Poe made a sign to encourage him to speak. “This is Manpha, in the Outer Rim, approximately a month ago. Millions of different species live on this planet, including the Shawda Ubb. Or I should say, lived. This is Manpha, two weeks ago.” He clicked another button. Rey heard Rose gasp loudly. It was clearly the same planet, but it was _wrong._ It was completely grey, except for the darkened waters. Close up images appeared, showing the surface: corpses of animals and dried up plants, all grey, all dead. There was no visible decomposition, only a slight erosion in the areas that came in contact with the water. It was like someone had sculpted a copy of the planet out of granite.

“What happened? Was it a volcano explosion?” asked Rose.

“There are no known volcanoes on the planet, there was no visible lava, or volcanic rocks that had been expelled out. No crater. What you are seeing is not ash, but dead organic matter. Before you ask, the atmosphere had not been polluted with poisonous gasses or any new elements that weren’t there before. The only significant change was a drop in the levels of atmospheric oxygen. But understand this: when I say all life forms died, I really mean all of them. A perfectly normal planet and you couldn’t find anything alive: not a single insect, or a moss. We even took some samples and had them analysed by an ex-First Order scientist friend of Jannah. He couldn’t find a single live microorganism in any of them.”

Rey felt a horrible suspicion rise inside of her.

“Finn, what took you to Manpha in the first place?”

He hesitated for a moment, but Poe put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “You need to tell her”.

“Jannah and I took a slight detour two weeks ago to accompany Lando to Bespin. He needed to sort some old business of him. While we were there…there was a moment that I felt a _blip_. I call it that because it lasted for less than a fraction of a second, but it felt awful. All lights went out in my head, I could not breath. It didn’t feel like death, it was Death. I am not exaggerating, I felt how billions of life forms just cessed to exist. When I came back to my senses, I was ice cold to the touch. We immediately went to Manpha and found what you are seeing here.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand”. But she did. She had felt a similar feeling, much milder, two weeks ago. Luke’s Force spirit had appeared to her and they had been discussing details about lightsabers. Soon after he was gone, she felt a horrible, sinking feeling, but she assumed that it was a moment of temporary grief that she had not been able to control, because being with Luke had made her think about Ben. She had used her Jedi training to isolate herself from her feelings, and it had all passed away. But if Finn was right, that meant…“Finn, you are Force sensitive”.

He bit his lips and looked away, but Poe’s hand was still firmly on his shoulder. “I have been meaning to talk to you about it for more than a month. I almost did, like when we were sucked in by the sinking pit on Pasaana. I felt you die on Exegol, but then you were ok, so I thought maybe I was just imagining things. But then Manpha happened, and now you tell me that you did die on Exegol. So I guess, yes, I am Force sensitive.”

“Oh, Finn!” Rey moved to hug him, but he recoiled.

“I have imagined a thousand times what it would be like to tell you, and what we would do with it afterwards, but I never imagined that it would go like this.” The look on his eyes burned Rey to her core. She could understand the hurt, but did she really deserve such hatred?

“Enough with the personal drama! Focus, people!” Poe got in between Rey and Finn. Up and close, Rey became even more aware of the toll a month of responsibility and politics had taken on Poe. The grey in his beard and hair was starting to advance, and the bags under his eyes were more marked. But the biggest change was that of his character: less hotshot and immature and more measured, a lot more pragmatic. He let Rey and Finn take a breath before continuing. “After Finn’s report I contacted some friends on Outer Rim planets. Manpha might not have been the first case of a “blip”. However, the other possible instances that we are currently investigating would have taken place in mostly deserted planets, which is why no one noticed until now. We think that they all happened after the battle of Exegol, but it is difficult to be sure.”

“Do you think that this has something to do with the Emperor? A new Dark Side user, perhaps?” Rose’s question made Rey shiver. She knew the Emperor was gone, but she couldn’t imagine herself facing him, or any other Dark Side user, so soon. << Not again… >>

“Wouldn’t that be great? Another moody boyfriend for Rey to smooch!”

Rey didn’t have time to reply to Finn’s snarky comment. She felt the familiar ripple in the Force that preceded the appearance of a Force spirit, and smiled when she saw the face of Leia Organa. However, the peaceful light from her eyes was gone.

“I can shed some light into what is going on, but I am afraid we don’t have much time.”

“Leia!” Poe shouted. “I am hearing Leia! How is this possible?”

“What are you talking about?” said Rose.

“I sense her too!” said Finn, looking at Poe with a changed expression in his face.

“She _is_ here” Rey confirmed. “Now shut up everyone and let her speak!”

“There is an imbalance in the Force. My family’s history has always revolved around bringing balance to the Light and Dark side of the Force, but this is different. The Force has two aspects: Living and Cosmic. Think of the Living Force as the energy of all living things, generated by all of them, which is fed into the Cosmic Force upon their death. In turn, the Cosmic Force binds everything that exists together.” She must have seen Poe and Finn’s confused faces, because she quickly added “Rey should be able to explain this in more detail later on if you need it. All that you have to understand right now is that one aspect of the Force renews the other, and the other way around. However, they are no longer in sync, which is why you are experiencing these _blips_ or surges of Force. The existence of the whole universe is at risk.”

“So after all our efforts the world is about to end anyway” said Poe.

Rey looked at him pointedly. “Shh. Leia, why is this happening? How do we fix it?”

“I think this is partly my fault, and partly due to the nature of the Force Dyad that links you to my son. When Ben died, his energy should have passed into the Cosmic Force, as it is norm. However, some Jedi have learned to become one with the Living Force, so the physical form is gone, but the individual consciousness remains. Luke learned how from his Masters, and I learned from him. This is why I can appear to you now as a Force spirit.”

“So you are immortal?”

“Shh, Finn.”

“This ability is only available to those that have fully embraced the Light side of the Force. However, my father was able to do so despite his past mistakes, due to his strength in the Force, his sacrifice to save Luke from the Emperor, and the guidance of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. I thought I could equally help my son, whose death I had foreseen as unavoidable if I ever mastered the ways of the Force. But I did not take into account his bond with Rey, which keeps him rooted in the physical world. Ben is-”

The image flickered and Leia disappeared.

“She is gone.”

“What just happened?!” Rose looked from Finn, to Poe, to Rey. Chewie roared, similarly confused.

“I am not quite sure I understood anything I heard, to be honest.” Poe let himself drop on one of the chairs of the conference room.

“Even in death, Kylo Ren manages to screw over the galaxy, apparently.”

“Kriff, Finn.” Rey shook her head. “You know what? I don’t care what you think, or how badly you choose to judge me. Now that I know, I will find Ben and I will sort this mess. With or without you.”

Chewie roared again and made Rey smile. At least she wouldn’t be alone.

“I am coming too” said Rose, “even if I have no idea how any of this works.”

“Rose.” Rey felt her heart melt a little bit. “I thought you didn’t-”

She didn’t let her finish. “You have horrible taste in men, but we are family. So was Leia.”

Poe cleared his throat. “Finn is also going, and so am I.”

“Shouldn’t I get a say in any of this? What about the ex-Stormtroopers?”

“Jannah can take care of that. You are clearly Force sensitive, and we need you to train with Rey. Especially seeing as she might be out of the game in a few months down the line.”

Rey flushed a bit but nodded her head.

“What about you?” argued Finn, “you cannot leave your work here! The New Republic needs you!”

“I am a pilot, not a politician. What the New Republic needs more than anything else is for the galaxy to not blow up because the Force is not working properly or something. Plus,” he gestured around the room, “I could use some time off from all of this. And someone needs to calm things down when you get on each other’s nerves.”

“But-!” Finn protested.

“Nyx!” Poe called out. The new recruit appeared behind the door, like they had never left. “Nyx! Cancel all my appointments and tell the Senate Secretary that I am required off-world for a mission.”

“But, my General!”

“Now, Nyx!”

****

Soon they were flying on the _Falcon_ again, leaving Chandrila behind. They had taken BB-8 and C-3PO with them, but R2-D2 (whose circuits were very old by now) was left with Connix, ‘in charge’ according to Poe. Rey took a moment that the pilot and her were alone in the cockpit to raise a sensitive subject.

“Poe, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I don’t think Finn is the only other Force sensitive-”

“Look, Rey.” His gaze was concentrated on the _Falcon_ ’s controls in front of them, and she could feel a sadness and a wisdom that had not been there before Ajan Kloss. “I am a pilot. That’s all I ever wanted to be. A _lucky_ pilot, yes. A pilot that now has to take on more responsibilities and try to maintain the peace that has cost us so much, yes. But I am not interested in being anything more than that. This galaxy has seen enough of people in power with magical abilities. Let’s try to give regular folk a chance.”

“What about Finn?”

“He is different. He is not built for corridors and scheming, and lucky him, no one has asked him to take on that mantle. Deep down, he is pure of heart, there is more goodness in him than in you and me combined. How else could he have broken through the First Order mind control, without any help or other people supporting him? He should get to be the hero this galaxy deserves.”

Rey looked into his eyes, and what she saw warmed her heart. “I will try to train him, but I don’t know if he will listen. He hates me now.”

“He is more than a bit sore, that is for sure. But he cares for you, a lot, and he will come to understand. If I can do it, so will him.”

“To be honest, I was expecting a lot worse from your side.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants.” He gave her a cheeky smirk, although his eyes remained dead serious. He let out a quiet sigh. “I know that very well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Kelly Marie Tran and Daisy Ridley. I would pay a lifetime of Disney+ if they just put the two actors in the Volume for little 10min scenes. Just Rey and Rose being friends and hanging out.
> 
> I considered skipping over the "Rey explains the events of the movies" dialogue because it might come across as repetitive. But Rey’s POV is very important for this fic, and I really wanted to explore how the other characters react. ***Dec'2020 EDIT: I got some really useful feedback about this bit, how to remove the more repetitive bits while keeping the main character reactions. If you ever read this, thanks again, P! ***
> 
> Crew assembled and ready for adventure!


	3. A Night Aboard The Millennium Falcon

Rey lay wide awake in her sleeping quarters. Her mind could not stay still, running in circles through all the information that she had learned from Anakin and Leia in the last few days. She needed to rest, and she had tried to meditate, but it was no use. The thought of Ben being still alive, _somewhere_ , _somehow_ , was too much to bear.

She tried a different approach. If she could not stop thinking about him, maybe she should let her mind focus on those thoughts. Let the excitement run its course. She made herself comfy on top of her bunk and closed her eyes. Images flashed in her mind: the first time she saw him, their first Force connection. << Breathe. >> Their fight in Kef Bir. << Breathe. >> The moment when their fingers touched. She could feel the heat from the fire, and the smell of the ocean filled her nose. << Breathe. >> The time the Force connected them and he was shirtless…her heart beat a bit faster, and she lost control of her breathing patterns.

She tried to force her mind into a different memory. She was in the lift on the _Supremacy_ , Ben –still Kylo– behind her.

“You don’t have to do this.” She heard herself say. “I feel the conflict in you. It is tearing you apart.” The words poured out from her mouth; she had no control over them. << What is happening? >> They moved through the motions, just like they had done before. She got closer to him. Past and present intertwined, she could not distinguish memory and reality.

“Stand with me” he said, and Rey could not hold herself back. She leaned forward and kissed him briefly. The physicality of touching his lips startled her. He looked at her for a second, his eyes wide with surprise, and then he kissed her back, rough and urgent. She could drown in that kiss. Her hands were restrained by the sharp metal cuffs, but he wrapped one arm around her waist and brought her close to him. She could feel his hard body against hers and the bulge in his trousers. Instinctively, she shifted her body slightly so that one of her tied hands could caress the fancy leather covering his inner thigh. Without separating a single centimetre, he pushed her against the wall of the lift and started kissing down her neck. A current of heat run through her spine all the way down, and she could not stop herself from moaning his name.

“Ben!”

Darkness surrounded her. The heat was overwhelming, and the world became immaterial again. A tingle of electricity reverberated through his body though, and he held on to that feeling for as long as he could. The memory of the kiss was exhilarating. It had never happened, but it was real all the same. A cold chill shook the world, and Rey woke up breathless in her sleeping quarters. Somehow she had become half undressed, and one of her hands rested between her legs. The area was warm…and wet?

She dressed up again and got up. She felt hot and flushed, caged in the small room. << I need to go for a walk and cool off. >> The familiar coolness of the empty corridor was most welcome and helped her settle back into reality. << Kriff, what was that? >> It was not the first time that she had felt turned on, but it had never been quite so intense. In the past she had easily ignored this type of feeling, as it could only lead to dangerous distractions of the type someone living on Jakku could not afford. However, tonight she had been completely overwhelmed. She surprised herself by having the _vocabulary_ to even start to describe the experience. There were words in her head, concepts that had not been there before. It was like when she started using the Force, and suddenly she had all of this knowledge of what one could do with it…except she suspected that more people in the galaxy would be familiar with the idea of a sex dream.

She found Chewie and Rose in the lounge. He was playing with the hologram board, set to silent mode, whereas she was fast asleep on the sofa. Chewie shook his head inquisitively at Rey, but she made a sign to him to stay quiet. She would have loved to talk to Rose about her dreams, but she was definitively not ready to talk about it with the wookie. << He was basically Ben’s uncle, for crying out loud! >> The thought of little Ben playing around the _Falcon_ with Chewbacca brought a smile to her face, but then a wave of sadness invaded her. She waved goodnight to Chewie and continued along the corridor.

As she was walking, she heard Poe and Finn speaking in the cockpit. She considered joining them, but then she remembered Finn’s look when she had told them the truth about her relationship with Ben, and she froze on the spot. << Maybe I should stay away from him for a bit. Give him space. >> She was about to turn back the way she came, but then curiosity got the best of her. She stood were she was, hiding behind a corner of the corridor, able to hear the conversation without being seen.

“I still cannot believe that Rey could fall for that…that _monster_!”

Poe hesitated for a moment. “To be honest, it doesn’t sound like she had much say in it.”

<< It is not eavesdropping if they are talking about me, is it? >>

“Do you think Ren used some sort of mind trick on her?” Finn’s voice took a surprisingly hopeful turn.

“No! I meant…we are talking Jedi stuff. The ways of the Force and all that. I don’t like the idea of fate, I’d like to think that I am in charge of my own life. But for some people, like the Skywalkers…it is different. They have destinies.” Poe shrugged. “Maybe Rey and Kylo were meant for each other. You heard what she said. It is some sort of magic bond thing they have.”

“I refuse to believe that! Maybe my destiny was to be a Stormtrooper and die fighting for the First Order. But I rebelled and met you, and now my life is completely different. Maybe that was the Force acting through us, or maybe no one has a set fate. In any case, if Rey’s destiny was to have his kids, she should also be able to change it. I certainly wouldn’t stand for it, if I were her!”

Rey felt the blood pump to her ears. Finn was talking about her like she had turned into a mindless incubator.

“Whether she has those kids or not, it should be her decision and no one else’s. Also, don’t forget everything that she did for us, at Starkiller base, Crait, Exegol...That was part of her destiny, too. At least, it definitively is her legacy now. As long as she does what is best for the galaxy, I am not going to get in her way.”

An uncomfortable silence followed.

“Also, if you are such a big proponent of people changing, what do you make of her claims that Kylo Ren turned to the Light?”

“Of course she would say that.”

“And yet….we weren’t there.” Poe looked thoughtful. “We don’t know what happened. What I do know is that Leia was devastated when she heard that her son had killed Han. She thought she had lost him for ever. And then she recovered her faith after seeing Luke on Crait. Leia was up to something when she died in Ajan Kloss, and Rey said as much. I want to believe that my General was successful, that she died knowing her son had been saved.”

Rey felt tears flood her eyes.

“That’d be nice, yeah…but I think your feelings for Leia cloud your judgement.” The ex-Stormtrooper did not give up easily.

“And I think YOUR feelings for Rey cloud yours”, replied Poe with a playful tone.

<< No… >> Rey felt the now familiar pit in her stomach.

“I don’t know what you are talking about-” Finn made an attempt to leave the cockpit, but Poe grabbed him by the arm.

“C’mon. We all know you love her. That’s why things didn’t work between you and Rose.”

<< Nonononononono…. >>

“Ok, I’ll admit it, but don’t shout! If you wake them up, I will kick you out of the _Falcon_.” Rey’s heart sank with Finn’s words. “Yes, I _used_ to be in love with Rey. And yes, I should have been honest with Rose about it from the start. But I am over it now.”

“A-ha. Sorry, don’t buy it.”

“It is true! Well and over my crush on Rey. Even if I weren’t, the thought of simply kissing the lips that have touched Supreme Leader Kylo…ugh, no thanks! Maybe in 50 years, when any residual saliva traces from him have been completely washed away.”

Rey heard them laugh.

“Also, do you believe the whole virginal pregnancy thing?” Finn continued with a chuckle. “Because I sure don’t.”

“I don’t know, man. Travel across the galaxy long enough and you will see all sorts of weird things.”

“Well, I can tell you, if I weren’t over her, I would be using some Beskar-grade protection before entering any spaces he might have been inside of, if you know what I mean…”

Surprisingly, Rey knew _exactly_ what Finn was referring to.

“Ugg man, I really don’t need the mental image! Anyway, does a certain ex-Stormtrooper lady have anything to do with your change of heart?”

“You mean Jannah.” Finn’s tone changed. “She is really cool. I won’t deny it, we have a thing going on.”

“Whaaat! Congrats man!” Poe sounded upbeat, but Rey felt a twinge of something else in his voice. << Is it sadness? >>

“Don’t get me wrong, Jannah and I, we are super casual. We have talked about it and luckily, we are on the same page: just friends having a good time. But it has helped me put my feelings for Rey in perspective. I think I crushed on her so hard because we met right after I left the First Order. She was one of the first people ever to see me as a real person, to care for me…and she is super pretty, not going to lie. But now, I am over it. I just wanted to be friends with her.”

“Despite her terrible life choices when it comes to men?”

“I-” The pause seemed to last forever. Eventually Finn continued saying. “Yeah. It is like Rose said back on Chandrila. Rey might have horrible taste in men, but she is still my friend. I will get over her and Kylo one day. But don’t you tell her I said that! She deserves some grief for kissing that wannabe-Emperor slug monster with anger issues.”

Rey let go a sigh of relief. She fought the urge to enter the cockpit and hug them both. She owed Poe, big time.

“Good guy Finn.” Rey dared a look. Poe’s hand rested on Finn’s shoulder for a second too long, before dashing away. “Now, tell me more about you and Jannah!”

Finn might not be able to tell, but Rey was now sure of the pain behind Poe’s friendly attitude. She remembered Poe’s words after finding out about her and Ben: _the heart wants what the heart wants. I know that very well._ An idea popped in her head, and on instinct, Rey knew it to be true. << Don’t do this to yourself, General Dameron. >>

“Well, we-“ Rey did not hear Finn complete the sentence. A horrible, irresistible fever got hold of her, like all the cells in her body had decided to throw an end of cycle bonfire. Blinding lights flashed in her eyes, and her nose clogged with a thousand different smells. Her mouth tasted of sweet milk, salty sea, earthly grass, and then metallic, like it was full of blood. She became aware of every single hair of her skin, and her brain screamed in pain under the strain of so many sensations happening all at once. The wave of feelings vibrated through her body for a second that felt like an eternity and then left her as suddenly as it had come. Rey put a hand on her tummy. << What in the everlasting galaxy was that??! >> Would it have affected her pregnancy? She heard Poe shout her name.

“I am here!”

Finn was on the floor, looking all flushed and sweaty, completely out of breath. Whatever had happened to her, had happened to him too. Poe helped him to his feet.

“That was fast…” Poe gave her an inquiring look.

“I came as soon as I felt it!” << He knows I was spying on them! >>

“Rey….Rey what was that?!” Finn looked terribly sick.

“An imbalance of the Force. Like the _blip_ you felt near Manpha.”

“But it felt completely different to Manpha!”

Rey hesitated for a moment. She trusted her instincts.

“What you felt in Manpha…it was like all life had been sucked out of the universe, wasn’t it?” Finn nodded, and Rey pushed her hypothesis further. “You are right, this felt like the completely opposite. Like my body had been cranked up to 1000%. A surge of life _into_ the universe.”

“Are you saying that we should expect more magical pregnancies?”

Chewie and Rose came running from the lounge.

“I don’t know Poe. But think of the universe as a ship. If the power modulator is faulty, small surges of current can create oscillations of small amplitude, but when these waves feedback into the system they can create bigger oscillations and so on…until the whole system is toast. If Leia was right and the Cosmic and Living aspects of the Force are out of sync…maybe the _blips_ that we are experiencing are like these oscillations. At the troughs you get loss of life, and at the peaks you get what we just experienced.”

Rose raised her hand to her head and started playing nervously with her hair. “I am not sure I know what you guys are talking about, but I understand power modulators. If what you are saying is true, it would help explain why previous _blips_ were barely noticeable…the initial waves would have been quite small.”

Chewie groaned. A sudden silence came over the group.

Rose’s voice was almost a whisper. “Exactly. If we don’t fix the fault soon, the waves will get bigger and bigger. What happened on Manpha could happen to entire systems at once…even the whole galaxy. Just like Leia said.”

Poe looked at Rey. “What do we-“

In that moment, the _Millennium Falcon_ started rattling aggressively. Poe and Chewbacca sat on the main seats of the cockpit, with Rey standing right behind Poe. They exited hyperspace and found themselves surrounded by a cloud of rocks. Rey checked the star maps quickly. “There shouldn’t be an asteroid field here!”

A stronger shake almost made Rose fall, but Finn grabbed her. Rey saw the look that she gave him and felt the sour taste of guilt in her mouth. Finn caught Rey’s gaze, and they did not need the Force to know what the other person was thinking.

“The navigation systems have gone haywire!” Poe shouted.

Rey forced herself to look ahead. As the lumps of rock flew across their field of view and crashed against the ship, the Force drew her senses towards something on the horizon. Far, far ahead of them there was a weird little ring-like spot. Or, more appropriately, it was a bright ring surrounding a spot of _nothing_ around which everything seemed to curve. Pure, undiluted dread filled her.

“Poe!! POE GET US OUT OF HERE!!” She started pressing buttons frantically.

“I can handle this Rey! No need to freak out!”

“POE THERE IS A BLACK HOLE AHEAD OF US!”

“That is impossible!”

“Poe, she is right!” Finn leaned over Rey’s shoulder. << He must have sensed it with the Force too! >> “Poe, get us out of here before we are caught by the event horizon!”

“If you guys can see the black hole, surely we are already lost?!”

“Don’t argue, just fly!” Rey finished inputting the coordinates into the nav computer. “Turn around 180 degrees and jump immediately into hyperspace! NOW!”

Everything went blurry and frozen for a second and then, with an immense effort, the ship managed to enter hyperspace again. The rattling stopped and everyone let go a breath of relief. Someone started laughing uncontrollably and then they all joined in a massive group hug. They stood there, hugging and howling, until a robotic voice emerged from behind them.

“General Dameron, I believe you are going to want to see this, sir.”

“C-3PO! Where were you?”

“I was trying to contain them, sir.” The golden droid raised an arm and pointed towards the corridor. A small thumping noise could be heard coming from the lounge area.

“Them?!”

“Colonel Tico’s plants sir. They are alive, sir.”

“Well of course they are alive C-3PO, I like to carry some fresh herbs for my cooking-“

“ _Alive_ Colonel. They started growing and they sprouted extremities. And they seem to have acquired the ability to walk.”

“Walk?!”

Rey turned on her lightsaber. “Will tonight never end?!”


	4. The Mysterious Planet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ SPOILERS for 3 episodes of STAR WARS CLONE WARS season 3 (last warning!) ~

Rey turned off her lightsaber. She was covered in leaves and bits of wood, and a strong smell of negamo and Boontaspice filled the entire ship. The cabin was an absolute mess, and Rey had to fight the urge to throw up right there.

“I guess this is what a surge of living Force looks like”. She pushed an oozing log aside to help C-3PO to his feet. On one side of the wood a series of knots were arranged in what looked like a twisted face. Some overgrown moss made it look like it had a beard, and Rey felt somewhat guilty. She hoped they had not been as sentient as they looked. “I am sure lightsabers were not invented to kill cooking-herb-people come to life.”

“I don’t know Rey.” Rose was covered head to toes in some foul-smelling orange slime. “They were pretty angry. Didn’t seem like the negotiating sort.”

“You would be angry if you had leaves plucked from you every single day.” Finn interjected. He was slightly bruised on one side of the head and his hands were also dirty with slime.

“Well I’m sorry, next time I cook my delicious Bantha stew you are not getting any.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Rose, darling-“

The _Millennium Falcon_ gave a slight shake and left hyperspace, slowing down almost to a halt. Poe ran to the cockpit. He swore out loud and returned immediately. Rose made an attempt to move towards the cockpit.

“Don’t even think about it, you will spread slime everywhere.” Poe turned to Rey. “Do you have any idea where you have taken us?”

Rey gave him a blank look. She had plugged in coordinates for Takodana, the planet closest to Manpha which position she knew by heart.

“Jumping to hyperspace near the black hole must have made us overshoot massively because we are nowhere near anything…we are in Wild Space!”

“Kriff, Poe…” Rey had acted on instinct, trusting on the Force. “It makes no sense; we barely spent any time in hyperspace! We couldn’t have gone further than Naboo or Batuu, depending on the direction!”

“Well, we are completely, utterly, lost!” Poe raised his hands to his head.

Finn placed a comforting hand on Poe’s chest, leaving a mark of slime on the pilot’s shirt. Rey noticed that, despite all his previous complaining, Poe did not seem to mind Finn touching him with his dirty hands. “Trust the Force. Trust Rey.”

“Fine…what now then?”

Rey moved past the pilot. “You are gonna have to let me into the cockpit of my own ship, Dameron.”

Poe gave a resign sigh and turned to follow her.

****

Poe and Rey sat on the _Falcon_ ’s cockpit while the rest cleared the mess of the battle with the sentient herb-people. They spent a few minutes in silence before Rey dared to speak.

“Thank you for convincing Finn to give me another shot.”

Poe looked at her with a half-smile.

“Have you been spying on other people’s conversation? How very un-Jedi-like of you.”

“Oh, shut up Dameron. If you were talking about me, it was my right to listen.”

“We were _mostly_ talking about you.” His smile was still there, but it no longer reached his eyes.

“General, if I may…when are you going to tell Finn that you are in love with him?”

Poe opened and closed his mouth several times. Eventually he managed to string two syllables together.

“How-how would you know about that?” He pointed his finger in her face, accusatorily. “Did you use your Jedi tricks on me?”

“There was no need…I could see it with my own two eyes. _The heart wants-_ ”

“- _what the heart wants._ ” Poe bit his lip. “Fine, you got me. He saved my life. And he looks damn cute when he is wearing my old jacket.”

Rey smiled. “Will you ever tell him?”

“What for? I am fairly sure I am not his type.”

“Come here, you silly fly boy.” Rey gave him a big hug. She whispered in his ear. “Don’t make the same mistake I did. Tell him you love him. Don’t wait until it is too late.” 

An uncomfortable cough interrupted them. Finn was looking at them with a weird expression on his face. “Eeh…what is going on here?”

Poe’s face was bright red and Rey had to look away from the two of them to avoid laughing. Outside it was pitch black, but her eyes fell on a strange object on the corner of her field of view.

“Guys…what is that?”

Finn and Poe leaned on the control panel as she steered the ship towards the strange object. As they got closer to it, they realised that it was a giant, floating octahedron made of black and red metal.

“Do we want to get closer to whatever that thing is?”

“Good point Finn. I am going to slow us down before we do something we might regret.” Poe pressed a few buttons and frowned. The ship moved faster towards the octahedron. “I have bad news guys. I think we are trapped in its gravitational field.” He pressed some more buttons. “Rey, any ideas?”

But Rey was not listening. The octahedron had opened up slightly, and from the opening a white light appeared. The light grew and grew, and Rey could not look away.

Soon, everything she could see was filled with white light.

****

Ray woke up to a fantastical sight. The _Falcon_ had landed in the middle of a gorgeous wild garden full of flowers. All the instruments of the cockpit appeared to be turned off, but the room was filled with the warm sunlight from the outside. Despite this, Poe was completely asleep on the co-pilot’s chair, snoring lightly. Rey shook him awake.

“Rey? What…what happened?”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

The pilot rubbed his eyes.

“A weird structure in our path…white light…Finn. FINN?!”

“I am here.” A sleepy voice came up from the bottom of the cockpit. “Apparently, I decided to take a nap on the floor.” The ex-Stormtrooper got on his feet. “Rey, what just happened?”

“Stop asking me that question. I know as little as you do.” A confused groan reverberated from elsewhere on the ship. “We should check on the others.”

Rose and Chewie had also fallen mysteriously asleep, still surrounded by twigs and leaves from the herb-people. The wookie looked somewhat sick, and the mechanic was awfully pale. Finn offered her an arm to support herself, but she refused with a brave smile. Even more worryingly, C-3PO and BB-8 seemed to have been shut off completely. Poe made a move to turn BB-8 back on again, but Finn stopped him.

“Wait. We don’t know what happened to the droids or the ship. It might safer for them to stay off for now.” Seeing the anxious look on Poe’s face, Finn squeezed his arm gently. “I am sure they will be ok.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the boarding ramp of the _Falcon_ was down, like someone had readied it for them to leave the ship. “Let’s investigate.” Rey felt a tingle of anticipation on the mouth of her stomach.

The _Falcon_ had landed on a roughly square patch of grass, suspiciously free from any other vegetation. Around it however, there were trees of all sizes and shapes, covered with leaves of all shades of green and blossoming flowers. Behind most of the trees, Rey could see hints of rock, but in one area the trees seemed a bit thinner, uncovering traces of a clear blue sky. She ran towards them, trying to get a better idea of their surroundings, and the cliff edge almost caught her by surprise. It was a sharp drop, but the view was breath-taking. At her feet, a valley covered with a carpet of green vegetation; in front of her, the bright blue sky, intercut with a steep mountain ridge. Their distant peaks were covered in white, could that be snow? Gorgeous, glimmering snow, and not the polluted, ugly stuff they had seen on Starkiller base and Kijimi. But, most importantly, in front of her, fragments of rock, some large as the _Falcon_ , were floating – suspended in the air!

“Did you do that?” She had been so distracted by the floating islands that Rey had not noticed Finn catching up with her. His eyes were wide open, but his voice sounded surprisingly calm. So many extraordinary things had happened since they first met in Jakku that finding themselves in an impossible planet was not entirely out of character.

<< After all, Exegol was pretty weird too. >> The memory of the planet washed over her like an icy wave. She felt her knees weaken, and Rey closed her eyes to maintain control of her breathing. She opened herself to the Force, not wanting Finn to notice her anxiety.

It was like plunging her hand into a box of live wires. The planet was beaming with the Force.

Rey could barely hold on to Force signature of her friends. It was like finding a specific grain of sand in the dunes of Jakku.

The planet WAS the Force.

Rey felt her mind unravel under a whirlwind of images flashing in front of her eyes.

She was a kid in Jakku, the ship flying away from her. << No. >> She was standing on the ship hangar, and Ben was saying something. She was nothing. Or was she a Palpatine? << No! >> She was gasping for air; she had forgotten how to breathe. She was Palpatine’s dog on a leash, doing his dirty work across the Galaxy. << Nonono>> She was a Jedi Knight, but her padawan was lying on the floor, immobile. Rey recognised the young face despite the black lines corrupting it, but she could not remember her name. << She cannot be dead. There must be something we can do. >>

She saw their faces. The Father, grey and wise, his face carved by millennia-old wrinkles. The Daughter, full of youth and hope, her green eyes shining brighter than stars. The Son, with his bone-white face twisted by anger. He was saying something, a curse of some sort that Rey did not want to hear.

Confusing images kept coming into her mind, but Rey did her best to ignore them. She tried to ground herself, find a stable anchor in the madness. And then…

<< Rey? >>

The whirlwind of images ceased as suddenly as it had come. Somehow Rey had ended on her knees, with a very worried Finn looking at her and calling the others for help. Rey pushed his hand aside and started running towards the _Falcon._ She passed the ship and barely avoided crashing into a somewhat sickly-looking Chewie before immersing herself in the lush jungle ahead. There were less flowers here, but the vegetation was getting thicker, and the air around her was heavy and warm. She opened up a path with her lightsaber, and after a few minutes running she came across a rocky formation. It was difficult to tell whether the collection of rocks was a natural accident or an extremely ruinous building. In any case, Rey didn’t care. Her attention was focused on a section were a few fallen stones had left a hole in the structure. There was a tall figure waiting for her by the rocky threshold.

He was wearing ripped black trousers and an equally tattered grey cloak. One of the sleeves was completely missing, and there was a big slash in the cloth across his chest. There were no signs of wounds though – just the same powerful muscles she had first seen up-close on Ahch-To. His dark hair was a bit longer than she remembered, falling unruly over his shoulders. But his smile…his smile was exactly as she remembered.

They stood frozen in place for an instant that felt like an eternity. Rey took a step slowly, worried that moving would put an end to the spell. But he remained there, awaiting her. She took one more step, and then another, and then she run into his arms. She could hear his heart racing in his chest, and almost melted when he nuzzled in her hair with long, deep breaths. Her face looked for his.

<< Ben…I have missed you. So much. >>

He lowered his face to kiss her. It was not necessary to speak the words aloud; she could hear his voice strong and clear in her head.

<< I have missed you too…but I knew you would find me. >>

His lips were rough and cracked from the sun, but they landed gently on hers. She savoured the taste of his mouth and deepened the kiss, yearning to take all of him. Rey felt the familiar electric current traverse her body, this time stronger than in any dream. He pulled her closer to his body, his arm wrapped around her, and Rey took the opportunity to raise her hand and run her fingers through his hair, from the top of his head to the back of his neck. Her tongue lured him in, and his breathing got deeper and hungrier. He spun her against the rocky wall, his lips now travelling from her mouth, marking the shape of her jawline and then turning down to her neck.

It was in that moment that Rey became aware of her friends were looking at them.

Rose was completely and utterly flustered, perhaps from running, perhaps from intruding in the very personal moment. Poe looked mildly entertained, a smirk on his face but a dangerous twink in his eyes. Judging. Finn…

Finn was not amused.

“WHAT the KARKING HELL!”

Rey felt Ben’s muscles tense up. In an instant he turned around, putting space between them. Rey’s body mourned the loss of his lips against her skin.

“You forgot to mention that you had brought the traitor and company along.” Ben said with gruff voice.

<< I didn’t really have the opportunity to say much…>> Rey shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The first meeting between Ben and her friends was going _great_ so far.

“Listen up, you sleemo, sithspawn…”

A roar interrupted Finn. Chewie moved uneasily through the path opened by Rey’s lightsaber, his fur covered in leaves and bits of branches. He seemed to have real difficulties moving through the terrain, like he was on a very unstable starship. He slipped a couple of times, and he still looked unwell. If a wookie could look nauseous, this was it. He finally made it to where the group stood and pushed Finn aside (a bit more brusquely than required, in Rey’s opinion).

“Chewbacca.” Ben took a step forward. “Chewie…I am sorry.”

Next thing Rey saw, Chewie was all over Ben, giving him the biggest, tightest wookie hug ever received in the galaxy. The towering wookie almost made him look small. Tears of relief flooded her eyes, and Rey noticed that Rose had watery eyes too. Chewie was groaning softly now: Rey thought she understood him say “Little Ben.” Finn’s body language changed slightly, he was still frowning and had his arms crossed, but through the Force Rey could tell that he had understood the wookie, and that it had gotten to him. The only one that did not change his expression in the slightest was Poe, his half-grin still examining every detail of the situation.

Rey put her hand on Chewie’s arm, trying to get him to relax the hug a bit so that Ben could get some air, but the wookie just opened up enough to bring her into the hug too. Rey gave in to his warm embrace.

“We did it, Chewie. We found Han and Leia’s son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand here comes Ben Solo! Sorry for the wait ;)


	5. A Night With Ben Solo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ SPOILERS for STAR WARS REBELS (last warning!) ~

Returning to the _Falcon_ proved impossible that day. Somehow, the distance that had taken them only minutes to run was now stretching for hours, even if Rey insisted that they had not got lost. Also, by the time they started walking back to their ship, the trail that she had cut with her lightsaber had miraculously grown back up. << No miracles, >> Rey thought to herself. << The Force. >>

The clearing where they had left the _Falcon_ was nowhere in sight by the time the lush vegetation that surrounded them started to turn reddish and withered, like it was a completely different season. Ben warned them that this happened every day, and that they could not risk being caught outside by night fall. Indeed, they had just managed to return to the ruinous rocky structure that served as Ben’s refuge when the sky was completely covered by dark clouds. These were soon followed by lightning strikes and scalding hot rain.

“Lovely place you have chosen for holidays, your ex-Excellency.” Poe, standing by the opening that functioned as door, extended a hand outside and quickly moved it back. “Ouch!”

Ben leaned back against the cool rock. “Obviously I didn’t choose to appear on this crazy nightmare of a planet. The Force brought me here.” He looked at Rey across the room, his gaze softening as his eyes landed on her. “Just like the Force brought you.” A hint of a smile appeared on his face, and Rey felt her heart leap. After they had separated from their kiss, Ben had stayed at a distance from her. He was clearly uncomfortable with all the unexpected company, but Rey had spent too long missing him to let the past get in the way. She craved his touch.

<< I didn’t cross the whole Galaxy for you to act so… _unfriendly_. >>

<< I wish we were alone so that I could give you the welcoming you deserve. >> His eyes gleaned with the light of the electric bolts outside. << Trust me. Nothing would please me more. >>

The thought sent a chill down Rey’s spine and she moved closer to him. The room was not very big, in a way it reminded her of Luke’s hutt on Ahch-To. The thick walls were made of broken stones, but the floor was a complete, smooth slab of stone. There was no visible furniture: no bed, no refresher, nothing except for a slightly rounded rock in the centre that served as a table. The structure, however ancient and ruinous, had been designed well: despite the hot rain outside, the refuge felt nice and cool. Still, Ben had warned them against making any fires as the temperatures would rise during the night. Their only source of light came from the outside: on top of the electrical storm, the leafless trees shone with an eyrie blue light. Rey sat by Ben’s side and rested her head on his shoulder. He flinched slightly upon her touch, but he didn’t push her away.

<< What will your friends think? >> His voice sounded tense in her mind.

<< They know how I feel about you. They’ll come around. Some of them have, already. >>

<< I was Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. I hunted and hurt them personally. They will never forgive that. How could they? >>

Rey put her hand on top of his, resting on his knee. She was still not over the fact that they were physically there, together.

<< Chewie has forgiven you. And I didn’t have the best opinion of you at first. >> Rey took a quick glance of the room, checking that no one else was looking at them. Feeling daring, she walked her fingers up his tight. << Got over it eventually. >>

He didn’t flinch this time, but Rey could tell the effect that her touch was having on him. He leaned closer to her face, a wicked grin on his lips.

<< Naughty little scavenger, cannot keep your hands still... >>

Rey bit her lip and felt her cheeks flush with heat.

“So, what do you have in terms of provisions?”

The sound of Rose’s voice caught them both by surprise. She was examining the far wall of the room, where some of the rocks had been rearranged to make something that looked like a shelf.

“Not much, I am afraid.” Despite Rey’s best efforts, Ben’s voice sounded perfectly calm. “There are no animals to hunt in this place. I have some fruits and something that looks like mushrooms that I collected this morning. But nothing lasts in this place. Everything dies at some point during the night, and the next day I need to go find some more.”

“How have you survived in here?” Rose inspected a sad looking meiloorun fruit.

“I don’t really go hungry. I always seem to have just enough food to keep going. Mostly I follow my instincts, try to trust in the Force.”

“Great.” Rose shook her head. “What about those of us that cannot use the Force?”

Chewie let out a frustrated roar. The wookie was sitting in a corner, grasping his knees. Rey had never seen him so ill-at-ease.

“Chewie, what is wrong?”

“It’s this horrible place.” Rose took a small bite of the meiloorun and struggled to swallow it down. “It is like…like everything is out of focus. And spinning somewhat. I try to move, and sometimes it is fine. And then other times is like the air is made of honey, or I am wearing really heavy robes. I feel sick, and disoriented.” She offered a bit of meiloorun to Chewie, who gave it a sniff and quickly refused it. “And it is even worse for Chewie.”

“Let’s just try to finish the mission and get away from this place as soon as possible.” Finn sat on the opposite wall to Rey and Ben, glaring at them.

“And what mission would that be?” Ben looked at Rey with enquiring eyes. “What haven’t you told me?”

Rey realised right then that there were several things she had failed to mention to Ben and that he should know. She opened her mouth to speak, but Finn was faster.

“Your no-death is fucking up the fabric of the universe and putting us all in danger.”

Rey felt the wave of coldness emanate from Ben. It was no use trying to hide the truth from him “Ben…” The memories of Leia’s ghost appearance, the information about Manpha, the black hole…everything flashed through her mind and into Ben’s.

His hand launched to grab the lightsaber that hanged by her waist, but she guessed his intentions and jumped out of the way at the last second. She felt him pull with the Force, but easily resisted it. “Don’t even think about it, Ben Solo.”

“You can try to fight me all you want.” Just like Rey, Finn was also on his feet. “It’s not going to change the fact that you should be dead!”

“I didn’t want the lightsaber to use it _on you_ , you idiot. I _should_ be dead.” Rey saw Finn’s face fall as he realised what Ben had just attempted to do.

“I can help you with that.” A red blaster shot went through Ben’s shoulder like he was made of smoke.

“POE!” Rey force-pulled the blaster pistol out of the pilot’s hand, smashing it against the wall. It took all of her self-control to not smash him too. “What the karking hell was that, Dameron?!”

“Just following the wishes of his ex-Worshipfulness here. The Force wants him dead, we prefer him that way, he doesn’t mind either.” Poe shook his shoulders, trying to seem playful. “Sorry, Rey, you were outvoted.” An angry yell came from Chewie’s corner. “Fine, Rey and Chewie. Still you don’t have a majority.” Chewie let another angry roar, and attempted to get on his feet, unsuccessfully. “You can try to rip my arms out when you are able to stand, big guy.”

“You two-faced son of a Bantha.” Rey clenched her fists. “I thought you understood.”

Ben put a hand on her shoulder and invited her to sit down again. A wave of calmness invaded her. “Rey…they are right. I should not have survived Exegol. I was ready to die.”

An uncomfortable silence took over the small refuge.

“Anyway.” Rose cleared her throat. “That shot went right through him, and no harm was done. Kylo…I mean, Ben…I am not even sure you can be killed.”

“No, he cannot be killed by normal means.” A man appeared in the middle of the room. There was a white glow around him, and his image was not quite solid. << Another Force spirit. What is it with Force spirits interrupting all our conversations? >> Rey saw Ben raise an eyebrow and give her an amused look. << Stop reading my mind, Solo. You are not off the hook for your stupid little stunt just now. >>

<< Stop thinking so loud, scavenger. >>

Rey tried to return her attention to the spirit. He was fairly tall for a human, with tan skin and long hair held in a ponytail. He must have been about as old as Ben or Poe, although his goatee made him look younger. Rey did not know his face, but she recognised his voice. He was one of the Jedi that had encouraged her in Exegol. _In the heart of a Jedi lies their strength._

“Who are you?” This time, even Rose and Chewie seemed to be able to see the unexpected visitor.

“I was a Jedi Knight once. The Force has brought me here to guide you.” His teal blue eyes were fixed on Rey and Ben. “I have gone by a couple of names, but you can call me Kanan Jarrus.”

“Jacen’s dad?!” Rey noticed how Ben tensed when Poe mentioned that name.

“You know my son?” The Force spirit seemed pleasantly surprised.

“My parents were friends of General Syndulla. They battled together at Endor, and Hera often came to visit after they settled down on Yavin. Jacen even stayed over a couple of times.” Poe looked at Ben with a malicious grin. “Baby Vader here also met Jacen back in the day. It was soon before my mum passed away. A rare occasion when we attended a big event on Chandrila and our parents thought it would be a great idea to leave us kids playing together. It went _great._ ”

“I was just five years old, and he was ten.”

“You thought you were the only Force-sensitive kid in the neighbourhood and that you could mess us around, and Jacen put you in your place.”

“If by my place you mean on top of the jogan fruit cake.” Although Ben was trying to sound serious and cutting, Rey could sense that the memory was not entirely unpleasant.

“Don’t tell me my son ruined a perfectly good jogan fruit cake...” Kanan’s face was a poem.

Chewie let out a little groan about spending three rotations finding bits of cake on his fur. Poe burst into laughter, and even Ben couldn’t hold back a little chuckle. The two of them continued telling the story about the disastrous Chandrila gala, and how mad Leia, Hera and Kes had been at them. Finn, Rose and Rey exchanged amazed looks. << So this is how it feels to be _whole._ >> Rey snuggled against Ben’s arm, hoping that the moment would last forever.

But, of course, that could not be. At some point Kanan stopped laughing and run his hand through his hair. He looked directly at Rey with a guilty look, like he could read exactly what was on her mind.

“I would love to spend the night hearing stories about all the trouble my kid got himself into, but I am afraid that the Force sent me here for a different reason.” He cleared his throat. “Ben…I am really sorry. You stand at the crossroads between Life and Death, but this situation cannot continue much longer. It is having a real impact on the very fabric of the universe, and I know that you are very much aware of the toll this is taking on you.”

<< What toll? >> Rey looked at him quizzically. << Ben, what is he talking about? >>

Ben squeezed her hand trying to reassure her. << Shh. I will tell you all – _later._ >>

“You are young. If you become one with the Force, you will be giving up the chance to experience so much of what life has to offer. Trust me when I say that no one understands what you are being asked to sacrifice better than me. But it is necessary.”

Ben nodded, squeezing Rey’s hand harder. “I know. As I told the others before, I was ready to give up my life on Exegol if that meant keeping Rey and the babies safe.”

“Wait, what?!” Rey felt like someone had punch her right in the mouth of the stomach. “You knew that I was pregnant?!” She tried to let go of Ben’s hand, but he pulled her close to his chest.

“I only realised as I was holding you in my arms on Exegol.” He caressed her cheek with his free hand. “I wish I could have said something, but when I managed to bring you back I knew that we didn’t have much time together. And I don’t understand it any more than you do.” He was smiling, the same smile full of joy that had rewarded her kiss back on Exegol. “Still, during that moment, I was the happiest man on the galaxy.” There was an almost insolent glint in his eyes as he switched to talking directly through their bond. << Even if I wish we could have made it happen via more _natural_ means. >> The thought was enough to make Rey blush.

Kanan directed a wicked smile at Rey and Ben, like he had been privy to the telepathic part of the conversation. “Isn’t young love adorable?” Rations could have been cooked with the heat emanating from Rey’s cheeks, as she spied Finn making gag gestures from the corner of her eye. Kanan cleared his throat again. “As I was saying before we veered off-topic, I have been instructed to guide you to a Boundary at the heart of this planet.”

“A Boundary?” asked Finn.

“Instructed by _whom_?” enquired Poe.

“If you would all stop interrupting me, I would have been able to explain it already.” Kanan rolled his eyes almost comically, and Rey thought that he really didn’t fit the descriptions of Jedi Knights from the legends or from the old Jedi texts. “Ben’s current…. _predicament_ …is wreaking havoc on the galaxy, and everything that happens out there is mirrored in this place. A fracture has appeared, think of it as a fault line through different planes of existence. A Boundary. It is the Will of the Force that this Boundary is fixed.”

“What happens if Ben crosses the Boundary?” Rose’s voice sounded almost sorry to ask. Deep down, they all knew what the answer was.

“I don’t know for sure. But I would assume that he will leave the physical plane and become one with the Force.”

“Is there any way to fix the galaxy that doesn’t involve Ben dying?” Rey, all flustering now forgotten, held her eyes defiantly on Kanan.

The ghost seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Based on my current knowledge, no.”

Rey opened her mouth in retort, but another voice resonated in her head. It was cold and harsh, but also pitiful, and most disturbingly of all, it sounded somehow familiar.

<< He might not know. But I do. >>

Rey hinted a look at Ben, but his attention was focused on Kanan. “What are we waiting for then?” He asked, without a hint of doubt as he spoke. “Lead the way to the Boundary.”

Neither of them seemed to have listen to the voice in Rey’s head. For some reason she felt relieved. “We leave in the morning. You have all night to… _catch up_.” Kanan winked at them. “Make the most of it.”

<< He is definitively not a normal Jedi Knight >> Rey thought to herself.

<< Pretend to play along for now, child. >> The other voice sounded again in her head. << We will meet soon. >>

****

Chewie had gone to sleep almost the instant that Kanan’s spirit disappeared, the loud snores of the wookie filling the small room. The rest had stayed up some more, sharing stories and updating Ben on the state of the galaxy and the New Republic. At some point Finn had muttered something about sharing secrets with the enemy and pretended to lie down to sleep, his back towards them, but Rey could tell that he was listening to their whole conversation.

Rey could also tell that Poe was trying to ease things between them after he had tried to blast Ben out of nowhere. He had lots of cute anecdotes to tell about growing up on Yavin-4, and he egged Ben on to tell similar childhood stories. Normally Rey would have loved to hear all the details, but she didn’t want to give in to Poe’s charm offensive so easily. Rose, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of her life. She had a big smile on her face that illuminated her eyes. Whenever her eyes turned to Ben, Rey did not see hatred or fear, but honest curiosity, and perhaps a bit of compassion. << She truly is the best of all of us. >> While Rey was acting surly and rewarding Poe with dry, short replies, the mechanic kept the conversation alive with hundreds of questions. Mostly, she wanted to know what the great Leia Organa and Han Solo were like back in the day, and Ben indulged her, although Rey could tell that it was still not easy for him to talk about his parents. The questions became more and more spaced out, and eventually Rose fell asleep, cuddled against Chewie and using one of his giant furry arms as pillow. Poe took opportunity of the silence that followed to try a more direct approach.

“About what happened before…”

“You mean when you tried to kill Ben.” Rey frowned. “After I told you how much he means to me.”

<< You talked to him about me? About us? >> Ben’s voice sounded playful in her mind.

<< Shh. I am trying to sound stern here. >>

“You have to understand. Even after you told us everything that happened between you, I don’t think I was ready to see you two so…together. And neither was Finn.”

A grunting approval noise came from Finn’s corner of the room.

“Maybe next time we talk relationships we should include Finn in the conversation.” Rey delighted in the dangerous look that Poe shot at her. “Maybe that way you two would be better prepared to deal with _your_ feelings.”

<< Is that supposed to mean what I think it means? >> Ben let out a soft chuckle.

<< You can read my mind, can’t you? >>

Poe’s cheeks reddened. “Why do I feel like there is a second conversation going on here?”

“Why do I feel like you are trying to change topic all of a sudden?” retorted Rey. She was enjoying putting him on the spot, knowing that Finn was not missing a single word they were saying.

“Fine! Be like that. I am not sorry for caring about saving the galaxy above everything else.”

“Hey! I also care about saving the galaxy. We _will_ save the galaxy. Together. Like we always do.” Rey let out a sigh. “I just wish that we had all tried to come up with non-deadly alternatives first. I feel like if this had been someone else instead of Ben, you wouldn’t have been so quick to pull the trigger.”

“You are right, Rey. Had it been someone else, I might have thought twice about it. But recently I have been forced to make more and more ugly choices.” Poe’s face turned into an inscrutable mask. “So, in the end, I think I would have pulled the trigger no matter what.” Another heavy silence fell upon them before Poe was able to continue. “For what is worth, I was being truthful when I said that I do not hold your feelings for him against you. I am honestly glad Leia’s son came to the Light.”

“For what is worth, I think you were right to shoot me.” Ben’s voice sounded slightly hoarse.

“Ben….”

“Rey. As wonderful as your love for me is…I am still a monster. I deserve to be punished for all the death and suffering I caused.”

“What does that say about me then?” Rey stood up and walked to the opening in the wall. Outside it was still dark, but the oppressive storm had subsided. The atmosphere was far more charged inside the refuge than outside of it. “And what about our kids? I don’t want them to grow up without a father. Even if I now know what really happened to my parents, and I understand that they sacrificed themselves because they loved me…it doesn’t change the fact that I spent my life feeling abandoned. I don’t want them to go through the same pain I did.”

“They will still have you! And Uncle Chewie. And all of your friends.” Once more, Ben put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm the anger building inside of her. “You’re not alone”.

Rey clenched her fists, her nails digging into the skin of her palms. Deep down she knew Ben and Poe were right. And yet…

“I cannot accept this.” She turned to face Ben. “But what I think doesn’t matter, because tomorrow we will go to that Boundary, and you will sacrifice yourself and save the galaxy. Again. And I will have to say goodbye to you. Again.” She took a deep breath. “Just don’t ask me to let go and move on like nothing happened.”

There was no use trying to hide her feelings from Ben, but she didn’t want Poe to see the tears in her eyes. Rey run outside, into the darkness.

****

She stayed within sight of the opening of the refuge, not daring to move farther away in case the mysterious planet played further mind games with her and got her completely lost. There were no good places to hide, as the lush vegetation that surrounded the cave was gone and the area was bathed in the strange blue light emanating from the dead trees. In the end, she had just sat behind one of the farthest trees, her back against the glowing trunk. It felt harsh and cold against her skin, but she didn’t mind it. It helped her reign back the tears and regain control of her emotions.

Ben didn’t take long to find her. Even if she had found the perfect hiding spot, it wouldn’t have mattered. Their connection grew stronger with every passing moment, their minds working as one.

“Rey…” There was no need for words, and yet she loved hearing him say her name.

“I don’t want to argue anymore.” She made a sign for him to sit down next to her, and he obliged. His presence, strong and real next to hers, made her realise how lucky they were to have been given a second chance. And to think that she had wasted the night being upset at kriffing Poe Dameron. “We have so little time left.”

He fixed his dark eyes on hers. “That other voice in your mind...”

She raised a hand to move away some wild strands of thick hair from his face and experienced the spark of electricity that followed every time they touched. “It doesn’t matter.” She let two of her fingers slowly travel his face, from his temple down the bridge of his nose. She rested them on his lips for a few seconds, letting him grow restless under her touch. Finally, she moved to caress his cheek, that felt rough under her fingertips. “We should have listened to Kanan.” She cupped her hands around his face and pulled it closer to hers, their lips almost touching. “We should make the most of tonight, while we can.”

“Rey…” He half-whispered. She knew that he wanted to talk more about the voice, and the Boundary, and how her friends were right. But she also knew that he couldn’t resist being so close to her, that he was _dying_ to kiss her lips.

Indeed, his self-control could only last so long. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled her closer to him, and their lips met. He drank from her and she rejoiced in his craving. She felt his fingers caressing the back of her neck, almost tickling her, and his strong arm holding her body against his. She motioned to bring their bodies even closer, climbing on his lap and rubbing her body against his. Now he was the one pushed against the tree trunk while her hands moved to feel the tense muscles underneath his shirt. In retaliation, his lips moved from her mouth, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, to the beginning of the collarbone. Rey’s skin was on fire – and then he stopped. “You are way too dressed to continue”, he said, looking at her with a supposedly innocent smile on his face. He said that, but his hand travelled underneath her criss-crossed tunic, caressing one of her breasts through her undergarment. Her nipples felt as if made of durasteel.

“Don’t you dare stop now, Solo.” Rey pulled him close to her again, kissing him hard. They became lost in the kiss, their connection so strong it was difficult to keep track who was undressing whom, or which feelings came from her body and which came from his. The night air was still warm and stuffy, the tree trunk still felt cold against the naked skin – but those sensations took a back seat as Rey guided Ben inside of her. Tender and hard, they moved as one body, knowing exactly where to touch, where to kiss, where to bite. The world around them seemed to shake with every rolling of their hips, and Rey was vaguely aware of them moaning each other’s name. When they finally reached their peak, a thousand stars exploded in their mind. And then…calm.

Rey rested, cuddled against Ben’s naked body, trying to carve in her memory every detail of the moment. The feeling of her fingertips on his chest. His scent. His lips, swollen from kissing her. His dark eyes fixed on hers, full of love and wonder. He planted a small kiss on the top of her head. “I am the luckiest man in the…”

He could not finish the sentence.

A torrent of excruciating pain flooded her mind through their connection. It was so strong Rey thought she might pass out for a moment. For Ben it was even worse. He jumped away from her, holding his head in his hands and crying out in agony. Or at least, Rey knew that he was trying to scream, but no sound was coming out of his mouth. She tried to embrace him, giving him her strength, take away the pain. But her hands went _through_ him, grabbing only air.

“Ben?! What is happening?!”

She saw his lips moving, but still no sound came out of them. << The toll Kanan mentioned…>> Their connection was weakening. Rey did no longer suffer the pain emanating from him, but they could barely communicate. His mind was no longer accessible to hers. His image started fading.

“Ben!!”

A shadow moved from a nearby tree, approaching Rey. It was not very big, with thin bird-like leg, a chubby body and two short arms that wobbled as it moved towards Rey. Once it came close enough to her, Rey realised that it looked very similar to the Ahch-To Caretakers – a male version, perhaps. It - he was completely naked, revealing a shiny, almost black skin that became light grey below the snout and in the neck and belly areas. There was something viscous about the creature, slimy. But his yellow eyes looked ancient and harsh.

“Who are you? Can you help him?” In the time that it had taken him to get close enough to them, Ben had almost completely faded away. He was on his knees, still clutching his head in his hands.

“He will be back in a few hours. Only to suffer again horribly in a couple of nights, maybe three if he is lucky.” That voice. “I cannot help him directly, but I can help you help him.”

“You talked to me before! You said there was an alternative to Ben crossing the Boundary!”

“Indeed, there is.” The being cocked his head, and Rey could have sworn that it was smiling. “You must get to the Boundary before everyone else. There is a dagger there. What if I could teach you a ritual you can perform there to restore a being to a physical body? The Boundary would close, and you would be permanently reunited with your beloved.”

“What do you get out of this? Why are you helping me?” Rey could sense the twinge of malice in the creature’s voice.

“My motives are my own. But I have told you no lies.”

“You have also not told the whole truth.” The creature seemed to shrug and make an attempt to turn around. “Wait!” Rey could not afford to let him go. “If I do what you say…will the galaxy be ok?”

“This will not bring suffering to the galaxy. Just peace for everyone. And for you.” The creature’s eyes gleamed in the dark. “You could have it all. Raise up your children with Ben Solo. Enjoy the company of your friends. Teach the next generation of Force-sensitive beings. Guide the government of the New Republic, so that the errors of the past are not repeated. All within your grasp, if you follow me.”

<< Rey, don’t…>> She glance back towards Ben, in time to see his image completely disappear in front of her eyes. Ben Solo was gone, leaving behind the gaping black hole in her soul that she had been nursing since she lost him on Exegol. She couldn’t not try to save him.

“Very well. We’ll do it your way. But my friends are coming with me. I do not trust you for a second.”

The creature half-closed his eyes, as if he had been hurt. “Of course. Although I warn you, your friends will only slow you down. And the longer it takes you to reach the Boundary, the more Ben Solo and the galaxy will suffer.” He moved towards her, grabbing her hand with its short, slippery fingers. “Plus, can you trust your friends to try to do the best for Ben Solo? When they could instead take the easy way out?”

Rey felt a shiver down her spine and quickly recoiled her hand, but the creature didn’t seem to mind. She quickly grabbed her clothes and ran back to the refuge. << No time to lose. >> However, she stopped right before going in, hiding behind some of the rocks. Finn and Poe were coming out at that very moment.

“So. Are you gonna explain to me what Rey meant with all that about relationships and feelings?”

“Shh. No time for that now.” Rey could see the frown in Poe’s face. He was trying really hard not to blush. “They really should be back by now.”

“You don’t think Ren would have tried to do anything to Rey?”

“Oh, I am positive he has done _something_ to her.” Poe tried to sound jokey and casual. “And her to him.”

Finn punched him lightly in the arm. “Don’t say things like that, please and thank you.”

“Ouch!” Rey could tell Poe was not hurt at all, just grabbing his arm and pretending. Surely Finn could too? Except he still moved in closer to check on the pilot, slightly concerned that he might have underestimated his strength somewhat. Poe took advantage of it to wrap Finn into a hug from behind and rub the top of his head.

“Oy! Stop it” Finn laughed. “General, this is completely uncalled for!”

“You started it!” Poe started tickling him.

“And I intend to finish it!” Finn wrestled his way out of Poe’s embrace and pinned him by his arms against the outside of the refuge.

Rey took a step back so she wouldn’t be discovered, but she need not have worried. The two men’s gazes were focus solely on each other; their faces close enough that Rey could barely see the gap between them. She held up her breath. << C’mon Poe. This is your chance. >>

But Poe did not take his chance. After a few seconds, Finn let go of Poe. Even with just the light from the trees, Rey could tell that her two friends were totally flustered.

“So. We were saying.” Finn cleared his throat. “Rey and Kylo Ren.”

“I am not worried about him.” Poe put up with the immense eye roll Finn gifted him with. “Honestly. I think the man previously known as Kylo Ren has his priorities in order after all. It is Rey that worries me. Her feelings are getting in the way of the mission.”

“Rey is our friend.” Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “It is funny to hear you saying this, when you were the one that convinced me to cut her some slack.”

“I said, as long as she does what is best for the galaxy…”

“And you don’t think she is going to do that?”

“I don’t know. She clearly loves him. She is pregnant with his kids. Part of me cannot blame her.” Poe gave him a tired look. “But if Ren flakes out at the last moment, someone is going to have to make sure that we do our duty. And I fear it is going to have to be me. It is definitively not going to be Chewie. Rose is too pure for this world, bless her, and…”

“You know you can count on me. Always.” Finn’s hands closed over Poe’s, holding them up to his chest, his eyes still fixed on his. “I promise you, Kylo Ren will cross that Boundary, no matter what.”

Rey felt another shiver down her spine. The creature had climbed on a rock next to her. “I told you, your friends couldn’t be trusted.” The whisper resonated in her ears.

<< Well, there is someone I can definitively trust. >>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....I really really struggle to write action & smut, I definitively prefer dialogue, banter and descriptions. But I couldn't call the chapter "A Night With Ben Solo" and not give you some sexy action. For the record, my partner is mad that I barely let them cuddle.
> 
> I started this fic right after TROS came out, then went on a writing hiatus. During lockdown we watched all of Clone Wars and Rebels. I knew a lot of details already, including self-spoiling Kanan’s story arc and Jacen’s existence. While knowing this didn’t stop me from absolutely loving both series, I wanted to give appropriate warning to other people without spoiling this fic. If you haven't watched "Rebels", you absolutely should. Kanan is now one of my favourite SW characters, and Kanera is up there in my top 3 SW pairings. I was so happy I could at least include one of them in this fic.
> 
> Also, I originally thought that Ben and Poe might have met each other a lot more as kids, but then I realised that all the canon material suggests that Kes and Shara Bey barely kept in touch with Leia and Luke after they retired. I have not read the recently released Poe book, I hope that it doesn't invalidate anything here.


	6. Through Ben’s Eyes (part I)

Ben winked in the bright morning sun. Returning to the physical world was a much slower process than leaving it. The pain that had rippled through his entire body had mostly subsided, leaving behind just the mightiest of headaches. He closed his eyes again, feeling the cool breeze on his exposed skin and the thick grass under his body. He felt slightly nauseous. Really, it was not so different from the hangovers he used to get after abusing the Corellian wine.

“FOUND HIM!” He opened his eyes again to find Rose Tico’s round face, grinning at him.

“What in the Force…?!” He sat up way too quickly and his head started spinning. She gave him another comical look, staring up and down his completely naked body. “Would you mind not shouting? And maybe look away.”

“Pfft. Not my first time seeing a naked guy you know. No big deal.” She still turned away and helped him search for the rags he used as clothes. “I will admit though, based on what I have just seen, Rey is a lucky girl…”

<< Kriffing. Hell. >> Ben felt the colour rise to his cheeks. He had only just found his trousers when Finn and Poe appeared. The ex-Stormtrooper had the decency to blush and avert his eyes, but the pilot let out a licentious whistle. “Well, good morning, ex-Supreme Leader.”

“Do you people have no concept of privacy?” He hissed.

“We have more important things to worry about.” The Force spirit that had greeted them last night appeared abruptly. Kanan Jarrus, he had called himself. << Great. Clearly no one is missing the show. >>

Actually, _someone_ was missing.

“Where is Rey?! And…Chewie?”

“You know the answer to those questions.” Kanan gave him a sombre look.

Ben tried to recall the events of the night before through the shroud of pain that fogged his mind. He remembered the conversation back in the refuge, and then chasing after Rey. They had kissed and then...

A memory crept up in his mind. Rey on top of him, her gorgeous body illuminated by the blue light from the trees. His hands holding her by the waist as he thrust inside, her parted lips as she called his name. He couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Well?” If looks could kill, Finn’s eyes would have been enough to cut him in half.

“There was a creature.” Ben forced himself to remember what had happened once the pain struck. “He had been calling on Rey. He said there was an alternative, that I didn’t need to die. I was having one of my weird fits. I could not stop her.” He swallowed hard and tried to reach Rey through their connection. It was difficult, there was too much interference from the planet, and too much residual pain…and a darkness surrounding her. But he could see her, following the creature, walking with confident step but keeping one hand on the hilt of her lightsaber.

She stopped and looked directly at him, her beautiful brown eyes filled with resolution. << I love you, Ben >>, she said, before the connection cut off.

“She is going to the Boundary with Chewie and the creature. She doesn’t trust him, but if there is an alternative to me crossing the Boundary she needs to try it.”

Finn and Poe exchanged knowing glances that Ben did not appreciate. Rose looked worried. “What do we do now?”

“Events have been put in motion that can’t be stopped now.” Kanan frowned his thick eyebrows. “We shall go to the Boundary. Whatever happens there will be the Will of the Force.”

****

They had been walking for a couple of hours when the forest-jungle gave way to a rocky area. They now marched on a thin path of soil that twisted around the edge of the mountain, with a steep fall to their right and wondrous vines and lianas decorating the mountain’s face on their left. Kanan walked by his side, with Finn following closely behind. Ben suspected that the ex-Stormtrooper had not taken his eyes off him for a second. Behind them, Rose struggled along but was able to keep up thanks to Poe’s help.

“You have questions.” Kanan’s deep voice broke the silence, startling him.

Ben took a moment to order his thoughts. In his experience, Masters were rarely forthcoming with answers. He should choose his questions carefully, but his mind kept coming back to Rey and her strange guide.

“That creature that approached Rey. What is it? It feels…familiar. But until now I had never encountered any other living beings on this planet.”

As if mocking his words, a green and white convor flew by. The bird was small but it looked majestic in the sunlight, and seeing it made Ben feel like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

“As you know by now, this is no ordinary planet. You stand on Mortis, a special realm within the Force.”

Ben felt Finn draw closer to them, not wanting to miss out on a single word.

“Time moves differently here, and reality is not what it seems. But for the sake of your understanding I will try to speak as plainly as possible.”

Ben heard Finn snigger, and he couldn’t blame him.

“Years ago, during the Clone Wars, three Jedi travelled to this planet. Here they met three Force wielders…”

“I thought the Jedi were Force wielders?” said Poe, from the back.

Kanan rolled his eyes, in what was starting to look like typical Kanan fashion. “Why do you always interrupt me?”

“Shut it, Dameron.” Ben gave him a quick, angry look and the pilot raised his hands as if he was sorry. As if Ben would believe that.

“As I was saying…Jedi can use the Force, but they were like children compared to the Mortis Force wielders. Think of them more like…Force gods, almost. Although that is not entirely accurate either.”

Ben cleared his throat. He was starting to lose patience.

“Anyway. There were three of them: Father, Daughter and Son. The Daughter was the living representation of the Light side of the Force, and the Son was the same for the Dark side. The Father kept the balance between the two, ensuring that neither prevailed over the other. But he was growing weak and old, so he called upon one of the Jedi to take over his duties. The Chosen One.”

Ben stopped right in the spot, and Finn crashed into his back.

“My grandfather. Anakin Skywalker” he said, ignoring Finn’s complaints.

“Indeed. But he did not want to spend the rest of his existence in this place. He was too attached to the world outside, to his friends and, specially, to the woman he loved. He refused to answer his calling, and for a moment, it seemed like Darkness would prevail.”

“I know the rest of the story. He became Darth Vader and helped the Emperor destroy the Jedi Order. But that was on Mustafar, not here.”

Kanan shook his head. “I told you, this place is not governed by the same rules as the outside world. Because Anakin failed here, he then became Darth Vader.” Kanan took a moment to continue. “Or maybe because he had to become Darth Vader, he could never have taken over his role on Mortis. Anyway. In the end the Father sacrificed himself out of love and compassion for his children, and the living embodiments of the Light and the Dark side of the Force were gone. From a certain point of view, the last thing Anakin did before his death brought balance to the Force.”

“I still don’t understand…”

But Kanan was not listening to him. “You will, one day. What matters now is that the Daughter and the Son died, but they left remnants behind. Luke Skywalker was able to re-start a Jedi Order of sorts. The spirit of Sheev Palpatine clung on to existence, jumping from one cloned body to another. Morai, the convor you just saw, is a manifestation of the Daughter…”

“And the creature guiding Rey is a manifestation of the Son.” Ben clenched his fists. “I knew I could sense the Darkness in it.”

“So, Rey IS in danger!” Finn’s eyes were open wide. “Solo! You two can…speak to each other. You need to warn her, somehow!”

<< He called me _Solo_. >> Ben felt something in his chest he could not describe. Despite the interference and the darkness, he sensed a small current of glee emanate from Rey.

“She knows.” He tried to perceive more through their connection, but the darkness clouded it. “She is not stupid. But she is very damned stubborn.”

Finned open and closed his mouth, looking defeated. Silence fell over the group again.

“You have more questions.”

Ben looked at Kanan. “Why are you here?” A slight smirk appeared on the spirit’s lips. “Why are you our guide?”

“Clearly, the Force felt that I had something valuable to teach you.”

“Yes but..no disrespect, but why not my uncle, or my mother? My grandfather?” His whole focus had been on Rey and the risks she was taking, but there was another thought in the back of his mind, negging him. “Did they…did they not want to see me?”

Kanan gave him an almost sweet smile. “What does your heart tell you?”

Ben took a moment to reply. “That they…still love me.” He took a deep breath. “They always did. They care and they would want to help. But then, why are they not here?”

Kanan nodded softly. “The Living and the Cosmic aspects of the Force are in disarray. Those whose individual consciousness remain within the Force normally can communicate with the living; but doing so at this moment creates bigger ripples in the weakened fabric of the universe. It is not safe.”

“But you…?”

“I was like them for a brief moment of time. But my spirit became one with the Cosmic Force soon after my death. I would want nothing more than to be able to see Hera or Jacen, but I don’t have that power. I am only here because Mortis is a special place, and because the Force wills it, just like it did back in Exegol. And I will remain here only for as long as the Force wills it.”

Another long silence followed.

“So, what is it like?” Rose’s voice was quiet and shaky. “What is the other side like?”

Ben threw a glance back to Rose. She was pale and her breathing was irregular. One of her hands grabbed on to Poe’s arm, whereas the other played with a crescent moon necklace she wore. A hint of information flashed in his brain, no doubt through his connection with Rey. << The First Order killed her family. >> Ben wanted to kick himself, or let the ground swallow him.

“To be honest…I don’t remember.” Kanan let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think mortal beings can comprehend what it is like, being truly and completely one with the Force. Every time I materialise…I guess the Force leaves me with the memories from my life, and the knowledge I need. And it takes the rest away.”

“So, do you actually know what we are doing now?” Finn raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Or are you as in the dark as we are?”

Kanan stopped and glared at Finn. He looked like he was about to school him, but instead gave him a smirk. “I know that I have brought you to the right place.”

The path continued ahead up the mountain, but Kanan pointed to the rocky wall. Hidden amongst the vegetation there was a hole, big enough to let a person through. A cold air emanated from the opening in the wall. Kanan gestured again towards the hole. “In you go.”

Ben stepped inside. He was in some sort of tunnel, completely in the dark except for a light up ahead. He walked cautiously at first. The tunnel appeared to have been naturally carved in the stone, but the ground was regular enough that they should advance without too many difficulties. Only a few stalagmites and stalactites obstructed the way. Behind him, he heard Kanan say “Inside. All of you.”

They advanced in the darkness, Ben ahead of them, Kanan at the rear. After five minutes walking, the walls of the tunnel became narrower and narrower, to the point that Ben’s broad shoulders were rubbing against the cold stone. “Kanan? We must have taken the wrong path. There is no way Rey came this way. Chewbacca wouldn’t fit in this tunnel.”

There was no reply.

“Guys…” Rose whispered at the back. “I don’t think Kanan is with us anymore.”

<< Blast it! >> How very typical that the Force would leave them guideless when they needed it most. “It doesn’t matter. We must get to Rey.”

“Maybe we should turn back?” Finn’s question was immediately followed by a loud rumble behind them. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You and everyone else” growled Ben.

They heard Poe backtrack a few steps and curse. “The tunnel has collapsed behind us. The only way out is forward.”

Ben grit his teeth. “Onwards then. Follow me.”

“For the record,” Ben heard Finn say right behind him, “you are not the one calling the shots. Don’t get any ideas up that thick skull of yours.”

“For the record, I am also the strongest Force user.”

“He has a point.” Rose conceded.

“So what,” said Finn. “He is also technically dead.”

“Not dead enough, or we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Ben snarked back. He heard a snigger from Poe.

“Fine.” Finn lowered his voice, as if he didn’t want Ben to hear. “Whatever, I prefer to be watching his back than have him watch my back.”

Ben held back a smile. He was starting to get used to the traitor and the rest of Rey’s friends. << And maybe they are getting used to me? >> The moment of levity passed quickly. << Not that it makes any difference, since I am supposed to die soon anyway. >>

The repetitive dripping from the stalactites stopped and the air rushed out of his lungs for a second. Rey appeared in front of him, at a distance. The Force was connecting them yet again.

She looked exhausted and was covered in sweat. Strands of loose hair blew in the non-existent air. “Rey! What is happening?” He could not see where she was. The connection was weak, like when they first discovered their bond.

“Ben!” For a brief second her face lit up with relief. “You are ok.”

“Whatever it is you are doing…”

“…I am doing it for you. For us, for our kids and for the galaxy. This could be how we fix all of our problems.”

“Rey, don’t do this.”

She turned around. Ben could sense Chewbacca near her, his fear was immense. “I made a mistake bringing Chewie with me. This is no place for him. I have tried to help him along, but my strength is starting to fail and there is still a long way to the Boundary.”

“Leave him behind.” It was that wretched voice again.

Rey nodded. “Chewie, you will wait for Ben and the rest on this ledge. Hold on tight and don’t move. I can feel them close. They will be here soon.” Ben heard Chewie roar in disagreement. “Coming with me will only put you in more danger. It is for your own good.”

“Please, Rey, don’t go this way.”

Rey turned to him once again. “Find Chewie. Tell Finn to keep the others safe. And then join me by the Boundary. I will get the ritual started.”

“Rey! Listen to me!” Ben raised his hand towards Rey, but it was too late. With a sigh, she smiled at him and terminated the connection, like she had done back on Crait.

Ben staggered, but Finn grabbed him from behind and kept him on his feet. “What the kriffing hell was that?”

“Rey is making a terrible mistake.” Ben muttered under his breath. “We need to get to her, now!” He rushed towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Solo, wait!”

The light grew brighter and turned red.

****

Ahead of him, he saw the Temple where his uncle had tried to restart the Jedi Order. The familiar cupule was lit against the night sky by the fire that threatened to devour it.

“This cannot be happening. Not again.”

He tried to get closer, but his legs struggled to obey. The ground, once solid, became muddied as it mixed with streams of thick, dark water that emanated from the temple. <<No, not water. >> He held back the nausea. “Blood.”

“The blood you spilled”. Three figures approached him from behind. Ben could barely contain a shudder as he recognised them. A Quarren, with a wide, blackened wound across his torso. A human male with his shaved head dangling in an unnatural angle. And a human female of dark skin and white hair, with a black hole in her chest where the lightsaber had pierced her.

“Hennix. Tai. Voe.” His fellow students at Luke’s Jedi Temple. Except they weren’t, not really. Their faces where skeletal, like the flesh had dried below the skin, and their eyes were lit with an unnatural red glow.

“You are not Ben Solo.”

“You are a murderer.”

“You are Kylo Ren.”

“No!” Ben tried to take a step back, but his foot slip on the mud, making him fall. He reached out for anything solid enough to help him get up, but around him there was just mud, blood and darkness. “I renounced that identity! Kylo Ren died at Kef Bir!”

“And yet, here you are.” The dead spoke as one, approaching him. “Alive. Thriving. While we dissolve into dust.”

“I am sorry!” Ben looked frantically around him as his body sank. “I am so sorry.” A bit to his left he saw a pale stone, glistening in the fire light, almost within his grasp. “I am sorry about all the pain I caused you.” He reached out with the Force, but the stone came loose, jerking out of the mud and flying towards him.

“Your parents may have forgiven you. Your lover may have embraced you. But we shall not.”

“How can you be truly sorry when you don’t even know all the evil you have caused?”

The thing that landed on his chest was no stone, but a skull, pale and frail. Its jaws started to move, almost comically. “You cannot deny the truth that is your past.”

More skulls and bones rolled around him, carried by the mudflow. Some were glistening and clean, some were not. Some were humans, but others had the characteristic tusks of the Benathy, or remains of Aeosian fins. Other objects came with them too: insignias from Resistance pilots, the headgear from that one official at Fondor, a rag doll from Tehar, lightsabers. They piled on top of him, crushing his body, pushing him deeper into the mud. << I cannot breath. >> He raised his eyes up and saw the black sky illuminated with red energy explosions from Starkiller Base. The rattling of skulls and bones was loud enough, but a chorus of deafening screams erupted around him.

“Please.” He could barely hear his own voice. “Please make it stop.” His eyes welled up. He struggled to keep his face above the mudflow. “I cannot undo the damage I have caused, but I cannot let further evil harm the galaxy.”

“Is that right?” A female voice whispered in his ear, and a white and green bird appear on the edge of his field of view. Ben felt the weight on his chest become lighter. He was almost completely buried in the mudflow, but now he could breathe. The convor landed on the pile of bones, approaching Ben’s face. He saw the big, green eyes study him for a second, and then felt the sting of its beak striking his nose.

Instinctively, Ben raised his hands to his face. In doing so, he realised that he was no longer trapped by the dead in his past. He was on Mortis, standing on a large cornice off the side of a mountain covered in yellowish grass. A cutting icy wind stroke his face, and he felt it burn where the convor had bit him. Off the edge he saw several floating rocks disappearing under a thick layer of clouds. << How high are we? >> In front of him, Kanan waited with his arms crossed and his characteristic smirk on his face.

“Took you long enough.”

“I supposed this was all part of the Will of the Force.” Ben approached the edge of the cornice. “How do I get to Rey? I have no time for more games.”

“If you want to jump, you will have to time it well. Also, she is a fair bit ahead of you.”

Ben resisted the urge to punch something. Or some _one._ “You knew what Rey was doing all along.” He took a few steps back to give himself space to run.

“Are you not forgetting something?” Kanan’s voice still sounded perfectly placid.

Ben took a glance behind. No one else had come out of the tunnel. “I don’t have time to deal with them. I need to get to Rey. I need to die and be done with all this.”

Kanan’s eyes darkened. “You asked me why the Force chose me as your guide, out of all the Jedi and non-Jedi from the past. The truth is, I understand you better than you think. You are ashamed of your past, you don’t want to face the man you have become. You think that you can run away until your destiny catches up with you, and then the pain and the shame will stop.”

The images from the Temple vision came back to Ben’s mind.

“I will let you in on a secret.” Kanan continued. “It is not the _dying_ that makes it a sacrifice. We all die, one way or another. True sacrifice comes from the balance between the things you give up, and the things you avoid. It is the suffering that you take on yourself to spare others, and the suffering that you inflict on the ones you leave behind. It is the consequences of your actions, and the example you set for others.”

“What are you trying to tell me? Speak plainly, Force be damned.”

“I am saying that maybe there are more important sacrifices for you to make right now than giving up your life.” Kanan put a hand on his shoulder, and slowly forced him to turn around and face the dark tunnel. Ben thought he could hear faint screaming coming from inside. “You have just experienced the pain you caused as Kylo Ren. Will you face that suffering again, just to save people that might never completely forgive you?”

Ben walked towards the mouth of the tunnel and stopped. He felt his chest tighten, the suffocating memory of the skulls and bones accumulating on top of him. “I am…afraid.” He hated how his voice cracked.

“You would be an idiot not to.”

Ben took the final step into the tunnel, and the darkness surrounded him once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write, but it was also getting a bit long and intense, hence breaking it into two parts.


	7. Through Ben’s Eyes (part II)

He was standing on a suspended metal walkway in a massive room he did not recognise, perhaps a hangar or some sort of storing facility. The room itself was deadly quiet, except from faint sobbing somewhere ahead of him. However, outside he could hear the sounds of battle, ships flying and shooting at each other. The room was in darkness, he could barely distinguish the outlines of shelving units lined against each side of the walkway and extending almost to the ceiling. Seeing no sign of an exit, he moved ahead, searching for the source of the sound.

<< Remember, none of this is real. >>

The walkway twisted and turned in between the shelving units, creating a labyrinth of sorts. The sobbing got louder, and the battle raged outside. Suddenly, he reached an area where the walkway had collapsed, taking several shelving units with it. He saw a small figure in dirty mechanic overalls holding a light torch and trying to dig through the twisted metal, unsuccessfully.

“Pae-Pae!” Ben recognised the voice. “Hold on! I can almost reach you.”

He Force-jumped to the site of the crash, making a loud mechanic _clank_ sound as he landed and startling the kneeling mechanic. Some of the stuff that had fallen from the shelves rolled away.

The light hit his eyes. “YOU!” It took him a few seconds to recognise the face of the woman pointing the torch at him. Her face was scratched and covered in sweat and dust, except for two straight paths cleaned by her tears.

“Rose!” Her face was full of anger. << Is she part of the vision? Or is it really Rose? >>

“This is all your fault!” She pushed him hard and Ben hit the ground. The edge of something sharp scratched his face, and he felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. << This feels real, alright. >>

She grabbed a piece of metal, but he rolled away before she could land a hit. “I am here to help you!”

“You are evil!” She cried. “My sister is trapped there because of you!”

Ben forced himself to remember. He could not connect with Rey and search for answers in her mind, but he remembered the files on known Resistance operatives that he had read as Supreme Leader.

“This is wrong. Your sister died more than a year ago, in the explosion that took out the _Fulminatrix._ ”

“You liar!” Rose cried out, but she dropped her makeshift weapon and turned again to the large scrap of metal shelves and walkway fragments. “She is still alive! I can save her!” Something large exploded outside, rocking the room and making her fall to her knees. Then something started beeping in the room, and hundreds of small red lights turned on around them.

Ben swallowed a curse. << Bombs. >> The shelves were covered in small spheres, and they were all proton bombs _._ But Rose did not seem to register this.

“Rose, we need to get out of here!” The room rattled again. A few meters away, some of the shelves fell, revealing a door. He grabbed the mechanic, but she clung to the pile of twisted metal.

“Let me go! I am not leaving her.”

<< She is going to get us killed. >> He looked towards the door. << Is it even worth waiting for her? She could be an illusion, like Hennix, Tai and Voe.” He took another look at her.

He couldn’t risk it.

He took a breath and raised his hand. He reached out with the Force, pushing the fallen shelves away. It was heavy, and his connection to the Force felt weird, like someone else was pushing in the opposite direction. Eventually, he removed enough debris to reveal a body underneath it.

“Sister!” Rose cradled her in her arms. She was wearing a Resistance gunner uniform and grasping a control in her hand. Her other hand rested on top of a moon necklace, similar to Rose’s.

“Rose. Did we win? Was it worth it?”

“Paige, what…?”

“You did.” Ben intervened with a hoarse voice. “The First Order is no more.”

Paige Tico nodded and smiled weakly. “Rose. You are my hero.” With tremendous effort, she removed her necklace and place it on Rose’s hand. “I love you.” Her eyes closed.

“Paige!!”

Ben grabbed Rose again, but this time she put up no opposition. The explosions were coming closer, the temperature in the room was rising. They reached the door and Ben pressed the control panel.

****

He was aboard the _Finalizer_ , in one of the interrogation rooms. He was not alone.

Poe Dameron was also there, tied to the interrogation chair. He looked exhausted and had blood on his face. Ben immediately recognised what was about to happen and moved towards the chair, but the pilot didn’t seem to notice.

“Dameron, can you hear me?”

No response.

Ben tried to release Poe from his restraints, but his hands went straight through them, as if he were a ghost. He heard the door slide behind him.

“I had no idea we had the best pilot of the Resistance on board.”

Ben turned his head at the same time as Poe. << How is this possible? How can there be two of me at the same time?”

“Comfortable?” He heard himself ask.

“Not really.”

His past self walked straight through him without giving any notice. Ben stood there helplessly, watching as the interrogation unfolded.

“I’m impressed. No one has been able to get out of you what you did with the map.”

“You might want to rethink your technique.”

<< Bloody Dameron, always so stupidly cocky. >> Ben tried to yank at the restraints again, but it was no use.

Kylo Ren raised his hand.

Ben felt the cold presence of his past self in his own consciousness, roaming through his memories. Poe’s head slammed against the chair.

“Where is it?” He heard Ren say. <<What is this? >> The question resonated in his mind.

<< This is not real. >> He felt the Force probe dig deeper in his mind. << This is not possible. >>

“The resistance…will not be intimidated by you.” Ben heard Poe struggle to say.

“Where is it?” << You are weak now. But I could use your knowledge. Avoid the mistakes you have made. >>

The pressure intensified. Ben tried to resist. Images started flashing in front of his eyes. << Rey. >>

<< I will kill her. >> Ben gritted his teeth, unable to stop the voice. << I will kill her, and I will kill Han Solo. I will kill Leia, and Skywalker. I will not be seduced by the Light side of the Force. >>

The pain sliced through his brain like a vibro-knife. His scream mixed with Poe’s, and his knees failed him. It would be easy to pass out.

<< You cannot save him. You cannot save any of them. >>

With a supreme effort, Ben stood up, took a step towards the masked figure, then another, and then tackled him to the ground.

****

“TRAITOR!”

He brandished his lightsaber, the furious red blade highlighted against the snow of Starkiller base. The insignificant Stormtrooper that had dared to defy him was there, tending to the filthy scavenger that had caused him so much trouble. He saw the man stand up and turn on a blue lightsaber. He recognised that weapon.

“That lightsaber. It belongs to me.” The pain from his bowcaster wound fuelled his anger. How dare that nobody touch it.

“Come get it.”

The traitor rushed towards him. It would be easy to defeat him. The soldier might have been trained by the First Order, but his power was nothing compared to that of the Master of the Knights of Ren. Their blades clashed a couple of times. Kylo was going to cut him down, and he was going to _enjoy_ it.

He struck hard, pushing his opponent to the ground, but a wave of pain from his wound took over his body and he lost his focus. He could not afford weakness, not now. He hit his injury, calling on all the rage and anger he could muster. He easily avoided a couple more hits from the Stormtrooper and forced him against the tree. << He is mine now. >> He could see the fear in his prey’s eyes.

<< Wait. >> A sliver of a thought tried to make its way through the cloud of rage.

<< He is not your enemy. >>

He pushed one of the quillon blades of his lightsaber against the traitor’s shoulder. He wanted him to suffer.

<< This is not you anymore. >> A female voice said in his head. It sounded like…

<< Rey? >>

He felt the scavenger slowly regain consciousness. He would have to deal with her later. Or…

<< This is wrong. >> He took a step back, letting Finn recover enough to lash out and hit him on the shoulder. He would pay for such insolence.

<< No. >> He felt the wound on his shoulder. << It is not him who should pay. >>

He turned around to face Finn as he lounged towards him.

<< It is me. >>

Ben dropped his weapon and open himself up to the blue blade.

****

“Welcome back.” Once again, Ben opened his eyes to find Rose looking at him. She was smiling, but her eyes were red. << She has been crying. >>

She helped him to his feet. They were on the cornice of the mountain, overlooking the precipice and the floating rocks. “I was the first one to wake up.” She glanced at Poe, who was kneeling by a just-returning-to-consciousness Finn.

“What…what happened?” muttered Finn.

“That was one heck of a nightmare trip” said the pilot, without taking his eyes off the man he was cradling in his arms.

Ben was relieved to observe that there was no blood on Poe’s face, nor any sign of lightsaber wounds on Finn. He himself also seemed to be ok, except for a slight headache and a prickling sensation on the bridge of his nose.

“I am not sure it was entirely a dream.” Ben looked at Rose. She was holding a crescent necklace in her hand very similar to the one hanging from her neck.

Kanan winked in their direction but raised a hand to stop them before they could start asking any questions. “You don’t have time for this.”

Ben looked at the sky. The light of the afternoon was dimming down, and the air started to smell of rain. The yellowish grass they were standing on had started to show the first dead patches. << We should find refuge soon. >> He remembered his Force connection with Rey and felt a weight in his stomach.

“We need to find Chewie. And catch up with Rey.”

“Surely they are still together?” Rose gave him an anxious look.

“You’ll be wanting to go down.” Kanan nodded and disappeared.

Finn kicked a pebble off the edge of the mountain. “I am starting to get really tired of the Force’s games.”

Ben looked down to the floating boulders, frowning. “Tell me about it.”

“So, what is the plan?” Poe joined him by the edge of the cornice.

<< I could use the Force to jump from rock to rock. The wind is strong and they are quite far apart, but I should be able to make it without many issues. >> He looked at Poe, by his side, and at Finn and Rose. He couldn’t leave them behind and exposed.

“Finn, how much training in the Force have you received?”

“None.”

<< This is going to be fun. >>

“Well. That changes now.”

****

“I cannot do this.”

“You have to.” Ben was starting to lose his patience.

“It just doesn’t work for me. I need more time!” Finn protested.

“We don’t have any!” They had spent at least an hour by the edge and Finn could barely levitate a small stone. “You have seen Rey do it before. You just need to do the same.”

“But she had training!”

“Barely.”

“She had her connection to you!”

“Pull yourself together, Finn!” Ben took a long breath, trying to calm himself down. << I am not built to be a teacher. >> He tried to imitate his uncle’s serenity, back at the temple. “I need you to help me levitate everyone from one island to another. I can try doing it myself, but my connection to the Force is…unstable. I need you to back me up in case I lose control, or you and your friends could end up smashed against the rock. Or fall to your death.”

“Is that supposed to fill me with confidence?!”

Poe grabbed Finn’s hands. “Hey.” He caressed them and made Finn look away from the edge of the mountain. “You can do it.”

“But Poe, the risk…”

“I believe in you.”

Ben held back a sigh. << Kiss already. Kriffsake. >>

After a moment that lasted an eternity, Finn turned to Ben. “Ok. Let’s do this.”

****

They moved slowly but surely, with only a couple of close calls. Ben went first, judging the conditions for each jump. He then used the Force to pull Poe and Rose to him, with Finn’s power stabilising them from above. Rose was handling it remarkably well, considering that just walking on the planet was a challenge for a non-Force sensitive like her. Finn jumped last. Ben was still using the Force to help him reach the rocks, but the ex-Stormtrooper was quickly learning to use the Force to power his leaps. << He is not half bad, >> Ben thought to himself. Not that he would ever admit it to his face.

Despite their unlikely collaboration, their situation was nowhere near good enough. Ben had lost track of how long they had been descending: they had passed the layer of clouds, but the ground still seemed very far away. There was barely any light left, partly because it was late, and partly because the sky was completely overcast. Additionally, in this section of the trail the rocks were becoming smaller and weaker, a couple of times giving way under his weight. To make things worse, the wind, which had never given them respite, was now a powerful gale. << No rain yet, at least. >>

He landed on the next boulder, and something caught his eye. The chain of floating rocks made a sort of natural staircase, descending diagonally from the mountain they had climbed with Kanan down to the opposite wall of an immense caldera, before turning around to continue to the ground. From his position, Ben could see the opposite mountain face. Someone had carved steps (actual steps!) on that side, although some had broken since. Still, some wider areas remained, no bigger than a storage crate but large enough to serve as rest to whomever was crazy enough to attempt the climb. On one such a ledge, roughly at the same height as the rock he was on, there was something furry.

“Chewie!!”

No response.

“Solo!” He heard Finn shout amidst the wind. “Is he ok?!”

“I cannot tell.” Ben tried to shout back. “I need to get closer!” But there was no space for him to jump onto the ledge, and there was no rock closer than the one he was on. The steps on that area had mostly been eroded or broken.

“Uncle Chewie!” He raised his hand, trying to feel him with the Force. He was still alive, but weak and dehydrated, and above everything else, Chewbacca was completely and utterly terrified. There was no telling how he would react if Ben tried to levitate him to where he was.

<< Rey, what were you thinking? >> He tried to reach through their connection, but a wall of darkness hit back at him.

“CHEWIE!” He heard a frail groan in reply. Ben raised his hand to try to move the wookie, but the groaning only got more desperate.

Ben was so focused on the task at hand, he didn’t realise Finn had jumped onto his island. He didn’t land quite right, but he managed to keep balance just about.

“Finn! What are you doing? I cannot babysit you and help Chewie!”

“I don’t need babysitting! I want to help!”

Ben felt a couple of burning raindrops fall on his face. “Help do _what_ exactly? I am completely out of ideas!” He let out a scream of frustration.

“Pull yourself together, Solo!” Finn chewed his own words at him. Ben might have found it funny in a different situation. “Let’s think this through. We cannot jump there, and we cannot move this rock. We need to calm him down and then…”

Somehow amongst the raging winds, Ben heard a convor sing.

Kanan had said _if you want to jump._ He had been such an idiot. “We _can_ move this rock.”

“What?!”

Ben kneeled and put his hands on the surface. << Breathe. >> He opened up his senses fully to the planet and resisted the immediate urge to break off the connection. The strength of the Force emanating from the planet inundated his mind. Once more, a swirl of images flashed in front of his eyes.

His father, touching his face and falling to the depth of the oscillator in Starkiller Base.

The nightmare corpses of Hennix, Tai and Voe.

The power of Starkiller Base unleashed upon the Hosnian system.

His uncle Luke, standing over him, green lightsaber ignited.

_Luke._ << Let go, kid. >> He heard the voice of his uncle, loud and clear. Through the cloud of images, Ben started to sense something specific coming off the rock, a thread of invisible energy connecting it to the rest of the planet. He tried to pull from it, but it rebuked him.

<< I cannot do this. >>

More images flooded his mind. He saw two Jedi, Master and apprentice, fighting a doubled-bladed Sith warrior. He saw the Emperor, striking a black Jedi Master with lightning, torturing Luke, attacking the citizen’s fleet over Exegol. He saw billions of people dying on Hosnian Prime, and on Alderaan.

<< You can do this, Ben. >>

He focused on his mother’s voice, using it as an anchor in the storm. The rock they were standing on started to rattle, but he barely noticed it.

<< You are not powerful enough! >> The face of the Son appeared in front of him, bright red eyes gleaming with disdain on his bone-white face.

Ben gritted his teeth and kept pushing, but another force opposed him. The Son cackled.

<< Leave him alone! >> Ben heard Rey shout, and the face of the Son disappeared. With a final jerk move, the rock was under Ben’s control. He floated it towards the ledger, still feeling the pull from the centre of the planet, but no longer subject to it.

“Get Chewie on board, now!”

Ben kept his eyes closed, focused on keeping the floating boulder as close as possible to the edge of the wall while Finn tried to encourage Chewie to climb on top. After an intense few minutes the wookie agreed to move and hung onto Finn’s body like a scared child, groaning miserably. “Chewie…I know it is scary…” he heard Finn say, “but I cannot breathe.”

As soon as he sensed that the wookie was on the island, Ben moved it up towards Poe and Rose.

“You could have thought of this before.” Poe’s tone might be jokey, but he clapped Ben’s shoulder with appreciation.

“Do not..distract me.” Ben muttered under his breath.

“Everyone’s on board, Solo. And the storm is picking up.” Finn sounded worried, and for good reason. The burning splashes from the raindrops were becoming more and more frequent.

“Hold on tight.” Ben extended his hand in front of him and then rotated it 90 degrees, trying to make the boulder descend. Nothing happened. He focused on the connection between the island and the planet, the thin thread of energy he had been manipulating. He snapped it.

The floating rock started free falling through the gorge.

“SOLO?!” He heard Poe yell.

“I…have it all…under control.” Summoning the last of his willpower, he pulled on the island, stopping it just before it hit the ground.

“Remind me to never, ever let you fly my ship.” Poe staggered on to solid ground, his knees trembling, but Finn caught him right before they failed him.

Behind Ben, Chewie made another dejected sound and gaged. Had he had anything in his stomach, he would have thrown up.

“Chewie…How could Rey do this to you?” Rose’s voice was cutting.

“At least he is ok” said Finn, sounding unconvinced.

“He is terrified!” Rose snapped at him. “You cannot understand what it is like being in this place when you can barely feel the Force. He was basically blind, starving and almost frozen to death. And Rey abandoned him! He could have fallen off the ledge! And what if we had not reached him in time?”

Ben did not like the look on Poe’s face. “Rey would never want any harm to come to Chewie. She did what she though was right.”

The frown on the pilot’s face deepened. “That is the problem, isn’t it. She thought she was doing the right thing. But her judgement has been…compromised.”

Ben opened his mouth to reply but decided against it, turning his attention to their surroundings. The bottom of the caldera was grey and devoid of vegetation, perhaps due to the time of the day. There was a broken pyramid made of flat slabs of stone, and around the edge of the caldera, bathing the rocky walls, there was a thin stream of something that glowed sickly green. The emerald substance emanated from…

“Another cave.” Finn sounded apprehensive. “What is it with this planet and caves.”

“A temple.” Ben corrected him. “Rey is in there.”

They moved towards it. The entrance was expertly carved, decorated with symbols that they had no time to understand. The green river flowed slowly through it, filling the room with a sulphuric smell and an eerie glow.

“Wait here.” Ben turned to Finn. “This should be good enough to protect you from the storm.”

“We are going with you” said Rose with tremulous voice.

“Absolutely out of the question. It could be dangerous.” Ben corrected himself. “It _will_ be dangerous.”

“All the more reason for-”

Ben interrupted Finn. “Stay here. Protect Chewie and Rose.” He lowered his voice. “And Dameron.”

Finn gave him an unreadable look.

Ben started walking along the river. “This is something for me and Rey to sort out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of angsty, emotional stuff in this chapter. Both parts reference a lot of stuff from the additional canon material (e.g. the Kylo Ren and Rose comics). On a lighter note, we continue the proud Star Wars tradition of Jedi training getting shorter and shorter.


	8. A Night of Destiny

Rey was completely and utterly spent. She felt like something around her was feeding off her, sucking her life force. Maybe it was the sickly smell of the green river. Maybe it was the tension of being constantly on alert, not taking her eyes off her unreliable “guide.” But it was probably the creature himself. Her connection to Ben was tenuous at best, clouded by a layer of darkness, but it had been strong enough to tell her _who_ she was dealing with and what he had tried to do to Ben. And then there was the not small feat of the gruelling trip to the bottom of the caldera, including the miserable climb down the slippery steps, carrying Chewie along with the Force.

“Until you abandoned him on that ledge.” The voice of the Son’s manifestation sounded awfully pleased. “He could be dead by now, you know.”

Rey gritted her teeth. “We both know that is not true.” For the briefest moment she had felt him close to Ben. He would take care of Chewie.

“But he could have died.” The slimy creature circled around her. “Did you not sense his fear? He probably hates you now. And Rose too, you must have felt her anger.”

Rey struggled to maintain her position, sited with her legs crossed at the centre of the large circular room. She focused on the large crack on the wall from which the green substance bled out. << The Boundary. >> From her position, she could see small ripples in the light emanating from the opening. There were whispers too, but she could barely make sense of them. << Soon this will all be over, Ben and the galaxy will be safe, and nothing else will matter. >>

“Are you sure about that, child?” The creature whispered in her ear. “Do you think General Dameron will receive you with open arms? Will Finn?”

Rey turned her head to meet his disgusting gaze. His previously yellow eyes glowed bright red. << He is growing more powerful. >> She needed to finish the ritual and be out of there as soon as possible.

“I have done everything you said.” She looked at the object in her hand. It was some sort of metal rod, twisted on itself several times to create a kind of handle. It had sharp, hard angles but it felt smooth against her skin. Most importantly, Rey could feel how it hummed in the Force, the power hidden inside.

“Call on the dagger, child.”

<< Stop calling me child. >> Rey closed her eyes and forced herself to push away any extraneous thoughts. Green smoke filled the handle and solidified, creating a dagger of a material she could not identify. The murmur from the Boundary grew louder.

“Good. Good.” Rey was pleased to hear the voice from the Son become more distant. “Now say the words.”

Before she could ask, her mind filled with an ancient language that, like so many other things in the weird planet, seemed oddly familiar. Her tongue and lips moved as if out of her control. She sensed a change in the room, and a female voice laughing.

She opened her eyes, dreading to face the other woman. She was still in the room with the Boundary, but it looked completely different. The walls were no longer solid, grey stone, but seemed to be made of dark crystal, reflecting the light from the Boundary in a million directions. Around her, instead of the thick green substance slowly flowing towards the entrance of the temple, there were violent green flames, reaching the ceiling and obstructing the way out. And standing between her and the Boundary there was a cloaked figure she had seen before.

“Don’t be afraid.” The voice speaking was her own voice.

Rey turned on her gold lightsaber. “Stay away from me!”

The doppelgänger laughed again and advanced towards her. She made a hand gesture, and Rey’s lightsaber turned off. “Please. You have been chasing me since you arrived to this place.”

Rey felt frozen, unable to move or look away, as the figure got close enough to touch her face.

It was like looking into a mirror, except a twisted, terrible mirror. Her face exuded evil, but Rey could not stop herself from feeling…desire? She was almost royal, more beautiful and powerful than Rey could ever aspire to be.

“You want this.” Rey heard the other one say with her velvet voice.

“No.” Rey trembled as the hand caressed her cheek. “I want to fix the imbalance in the Force.” The hand grabbed her chin, forcing Rey to look into the yellow eyes of her dark reflection. “I want Ben.” The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. “I want the power to save him.”

The other Rey smiled, revealing rows of pointy teeth. “Of course, you do. It is only natural.” The hand slid from Rey’s face, down her throat, sliding away her tunic and ripping the collar of her undergarment.

“Rey?” The green flames opened briefly, letting Ben into the room before closing again. He was sweaty, looked exhausted and his clothes were even more destroyed than last time Rey saw him, but he had never looked more handsome to her. He advanced into the room, looking stunned at the two Reys in front of him. “What is happening?”

The doppelgänger smiled. She let go of Rey and moved towards Ben, letting her cloak fall to the ground and revealing her naked body underneath it. “Kylo Ren. We have been waiting for you.”

“That is not my name anymore” he said with a low voice, but Rey thought it sounded weak and unconvinced.

“Shh.” The doppelgänger wrapped her arms around him, keeping up with Rey’s eyes as she ripped off what remained of Ben’s shirt and started kissing his broad shoulders. Rey saw Ben bite his lip as the hands of the other Rey slid down his abdomen and slipped under the waist of his trousers. Like Rey, he seemed to be frozen in place. She could not stand it.

“MOVE AWAY FROM HIM!”

She called on the Force, using all her fury to throw the other Rey against the flames, which receded for a moment. The doppelgänger smashed against the dark crystal wall, cracking it, but Rey did not pay any attention to it. She dropped her lightsaber and run to Ben, using her free hand to grab his hair and pull him towards her. He kissed her hard, urgently, like it had been a lifetime since they last saw each other. His hands travelled her body, from her breasts to the small of her back. She felt his thumbs go under the cloth, making small circles over her skin. His touch was light, but it was driving her mad. Sheis touc pressed her body against his, rubbing against the tightness in his trousers, trying to up the stakes.

“We could share...” She heard the other Rey say, not knowing whether the doppelgänger was talking to her or Ben. Rey realised she did not care. In fact, she welcomed it. She felt a presence embrace her from behind as two pairs of hands finished undressing her. The air was thick and moist and her body was flushed. She let herself be wrapped by the two bodies. One hand steadied Rey against Ben’s body, two other tugged and played her nipples. Yet another hand reached the wetness between her legs, moving expertly. Rey couldn’t hold back a satisfied moan.

And then, cold sharp teeth closed around the wrist of the hand still clasping the dagger, and Rey felt the blood in her veins turn to ice. Unimaginable pain rush through her body, taking her breath away and making her bend over. She let out a scream and lightning erupted from her free hand, hitting Ben. Like in a slow-moving holo she saw his body hit the wall, now again made out of solid rock, and Ben collapsed like a broken droid. The other Rey disappeared, as did the flames. The room felt completely silent for a second, and then the whispering from the Boundary increased.

She heard clapping.

“Well done my child.” The Son appeared in front of her, no longer looking like a male Lanai but in the humanoid form she had seen when they first arrived on the planet. “The ritual is almost complete. You shall sacrifice a body to me in front of the Boundary, and once again I will be free to roam the galaxy in my full glory.”

Rey saw her hand move, still holding the dagger. Black threads emerged from the wound on her wrist, wiggling under her skin and spreading towards her hand and up her arm. She felt her body move towards Ben.

“Absolutely not.” She dug her heels in.

The Son’s voice sounded placid. “Now, now, child. There is no use resisting. You have already given yourself to me. There is no going back now.”

Rey clenched her teeth. Her arm was raised in front of her, trembling. She looked beyond it, towards Ben’s beautiful face, and saw his chest move almost imperceptibly. << He is going to be ok. >>

“If you thought for even a second that I would ever harm Ben Solo then you are the stupidest being in the whole universe.”

She saw him frown almost comically. “But you have hurt him many times before. In fact, you have just done it now. He was doing so well, and then you brought him back into the Darkness.”

Rey held back the tears and focused on her arm. Her hand was now completely black from the poison spreading through the wound in her wrist, but she focused on the threads worming their way up to her elbow. She imagined every fiber of muscle, every molecule that made them, and forced them to bend to her will. Slowly, her arm started to move down.

“You are Rey Palpatine. The Dark Side is in your nature.” His voice now sounded alarmed. “You cannot deny me!”

“I-“ Rey looked at Ben. “I am Rey Skywalker. And you have no power over me!”

With a final jerk she dropped the arm holding the dagger, forcing it still against her side. She called her fallen lightsaber to her free hand and ignited it. The weight of the weapon in her hand gave her the final spark of energy she needed. She lounged towards the Son, ready to strike.

“Please! No!” He recoiled, and he was no longer a mighty Force wielder, but the dark grey creature that had guided her there, small and pathetic. “Mercy!”

Rey looked at him. That wretched little thing. The galaxy would be better off without him. She took a step closer.

“Rey, don’t.” The voice of Anakin Skywalker reached her from beyond the Boundary, breaking through the rage in her mind.

She could not get rid of the Darkness in the universe with more Darkness.

She lowered her lightsaber, still ignited. “You are not even deserving of my blade.”

“Most gracious Lady.” The creature whimpered and kneeled in front of her. “I am at your service.”

Rey nodded, absent-minded. << Is this it? Have we finally conquered Evil, once and for all? >>

She looked at Ben, still passed out on the floor. “He is still going to have to sacrifice himself. After everything we have been through. It is unfair.”

Suddenly, she heard steps coming from the entrance. Finn’s worried face appeared by the entrance. He looked at her with big, startled eyes.

“Rey! What-?”

From the corner of her eye she saw the Son’s remnant smile and raise a short, wobbly hand. He pulled Finn into the room, dropping him by her feet. Finn’s face was frozen in a permanent surprised grin.

“I wanted to use you for my own selfish reasons…but I did not lie to you about the ritual. In his current form your beloved stands in-between planes, not able to advance in either direction. If he doesn’t cross the Boundary soon, the imbalance in the Force will rip the universe apart. The surges in Force are already affecting populated systems in the Outer Rim.” The creature’s yellow eyes glimmered. “But you can use the dagger to sacrifice flesh for flesh. Restore him to full physical existence, and you can leave this place and raise your family, be happy for the rest of your mortal life.”

The dagger, which had rested quietly on Rey’s injured hand, started humming again.

“Finn…Finn is my friend.” Rey’s voice cracked.

“And wouldn’t a true friend want you to be happy?”

Rey looked at Finn’s harrowing, unblinking eyes.

<< What about his happiness? >>

The dagger became heavier in her hand, forcing her to kneel beside Finn. She was sweating profusely, so much so that at any moment the dagger could slip off her hand and hit him.

She heard the Son again, speaking directly in her mind. << It is just me and you in this temple. No one would ever know. Not even Ben. >>

Rey glanced again at Ben. His sweet lips, the dark hair framing his face, the shape of his jawline. She admired once more his broad body and remembered the feeling of being held by his strong arms. She let out a sigh and felt the energy emanating from the two lives growing inside her body. It would be so easy to lower the dagger and slash his throat.

<< No one will know. >>

She looked once more at her friend’s face.

<< What sort of monster am I? >>

She remembered the first time they met, and the first time they flew the _Falcon_ together. She remembered the look on his face as she levitated the rocks on Crait, and the relief she felt every time they hugged on Ajan Kloss, reunited after a dangerous mission. She remembered seeing him and Poe after Exegol, when they realised the war was finally over. How could she have considered harming him, even for a second, even to save Ben’s life?

She bent down to give Finn a chaste kiss on the forehead, silently begging for forgiveness. She hoped that whatever the Son had done to him to freeze him in place would have stopped him from realising what she had almost done to him. As she stood up, a silent tear fell on his cheek. She felt nauseous, her skin crawling with shame.

She felt the eyes of the creature on her back. Without ever turning around, she took a step towards it and away from Finn.

With a quick movement, she raised the hand that was still holding her ignited lightsaber and sliced through her corrupted arm right above the elbow.

She ignored the shouts from the Son; she ignored Finn gapping for air as he was released from under his spell; and she ignored Ben, suddenly coming back to consciousness. Above everything, she ignored the searing pain from her wound. She called on the Force to control the fall of her amputated arm, and she launched it and the dagger towards the Boundary.

Green-white light exploded around her, filling the room.

Her last thought was for Ben.

****

She woke up in a black space, but not in darkness. She was not floating in the air, but there was no visible floor, ceiling or walls. She looked at her arm: the lightsaber had cut cleanly through the bone, perfectly cauterising the wound. She felt no pain. She felt, in fact, perfectly at peace.

“Rey?” She turned around to see Ben. He was smiling, pride shinning in his eyes. He hugged her, lowering his head to nuzzle her hair, and Rey felt like her heart would explode with happiness.

The sound of someone clearing his throat interrupted them.

They saw Kanan, more solid and real than in his spirit form, still wearing his ponytail but clothed in a simple white robe. Rey noticed that both her and Ben wore similar clothes, but they were grey. He smiled at them.

“You had me there for a second, Rey.”

Ben separated slightly from her but held on to her hand. “Where are we?”

“Follow me.” He gestured them forward. A line of shiny white slabs of stone appeared in front of them. Thin lines of white light appeared at each side and spread in every direction, filling the black space and creating the illusion of interconnected bridges. Ben and Rey exchanged questioning glances and Kanan rolled his eyes once more. “There is someone that wants to talk to you.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. As they advanced along the white stones, they saw several shapes appear in the distance. There was a fountain with emerald liquid dripping irregularly from it. Most of the liquid was collected by a vessel in the shape of a weird flower or maybe a star, big enough for a person to stand inside. However, some of the liquid droplets landed on the edge of the pool, creating ripples and spilling outside. By the side of the vessel there was a drainpipe, collecting the liquid and bringing it back to the bottom of the fountain. However, the system was clearly broken, with green puddles forming by the side of the pool and thin streams of liquid spreading from them like the roots of a tree. A man was waiting by their side, the sleeves of his grey robe rolled up to his elbows and a box of tools next to his feet.

“Grandfather.”

“You arrive at the perfect time” said Anakin Skywalker, winking at them. “I could use some help fixing this.”

“Are we dead?” Rey felt no fear as she asked the question.

“What does your instinct tell you?”

Rey shook her head.

“You could die. Both of you, right here, right now. It would be peaceful, and painless. But the Will of the Force is not for you to die now.”

“Are we getting a second chance?” Rey heard Ben asked, and she felt a twinge of guilt on the mouth of her stomach.

“I do not deserve a second chance.” She squeezed Ben’s hand hard. “For a moment, I-” her voice faltered. “I would have killed my friend for my selfish desires.”

Anakin’s eyes rested on her missing limb. “Neither you, nor I, nor Ben, are free from sin. We have done great things, both good and evil. In some cases, the evil far outweighs the good.” He gave her a weak smile. “You have expunged yourself from one temptation, but you will never be truly free. Both you and Ben are liable to fall, again and again.”

Rey fell a shiver down her spine. But Anakin continued talking. “But you also have the power to keep each other in check. When one fails, the other must rise to the occasion to stop harm from coming to the galaxy. Your destiny is far beyond death. You are to become Light and Darkness on the physical plane, not as the Force wielders of old, stuck on a stale binary. But as something new. Mother and Father of the existing universe.”

“How can this be possible?” Ben asked. “And, what about the Boundary?”

Anakin winked at Kanan. “They haven’t realised.”

The other replied. “What remained of the Son was not lying. Rey sacrificed flesh for flesh. And from her sacrifice the one she loves has been restored. Now more than ever, you are but one being in the Force.”

Ben gave her a light kiss on her cheek. “So, when do we start?”

Anakin’s expression changed. “Not yet. Something else must come to pass. You must make a final sacrifice.”

Instinctively, Rey put her hand on her belly.

“I told you that there were bigger sacrifices for you to make than giving up your life.” Kanan’s voice was tinted with sadness. “Your fate is similar to ours. In order to become Mother and Father of the whole universe, you shall give up being mother and father to your own children.”

Rey felt her ears ringing and the air leave her lungs.

“Do we get a say on this? Do we have no choice?” Ben’s questions were sharp like blades, and Rey sensed the anger and pain growing inside of him.

“Ben…” She placed her hand on his face, wiping away the tears in his eyes, then turned to Kanan and Anakin. “So innocent children pay for the good of the galaxy? Sacrificed to bring balance in the Force?”

Anakin looked at her. “Oh, your children will live, and live happily.”

Ben hugged her. “Rey. We don’t have to do this.”

She rested her forehead against his. Tears were streaming down both of their faces as the meaning of Anakin’s words dawned on them. She sensed sadness wash over their bodies, taking everything with it. She heard their sobs and held on tighter to Ben’s neck with her one hand. But once the wave of sorrow and pain had passed through them, she felt something else.

Resolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought I was done with smut...I am surprised I haven't found much more Rey/Ben-Kylo/Dark Rey out there. Am I that weird, huh? Having said that, I wasn't sure Rey would necessarily refer to the other as "Dark Rey". IMO Regular Rey is not "Light Rey", throughout the ST we see that there is Light and Dark within her. That's why I avoided the term "Dark Rey", and generally why I made many of the choices in this fic.  
> On a much more serious note, to me redemption is a road. Not a single action, but many choices. Not always a straight path, but definitively something we all have to strive for. No one is perfect, we all have our darkness and our biases. So, "if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." Also, losing a hand is another great Star Wars tradition that we missed in the ST.  
> I do apologise if things got too serious and metaphysical. Other than general symbolism, there are still some Star Wars easter eggs and references, including for "Legends" material.  
> Now for the emotional finale!
> 
> Dec'2020 EDIT: just some minor description bits to make it more in line with Rebels :)


	9. Epilogue

Finn paced outside the _Millennium Falcon_ , now landed on its regular spot at the bottom of the caldera. They had spent months on Mortis. Kanan had told them that time moved different on this weird planet, and that the world outside would not have noticed their absence. But he was growing weary, and so did the others. Except, of course, for Rey and Ben, who had come out of the Boundary… _changed_ , somehow. There was a wisdom to them, and sadness. There was something they were not telling the rest of the group. Rey had said that they would wait on Mortis until she had given birth, and Poe speculated that this was so that Ben could attend the birth of his kids without having to worry about escaping galactic justice for his crimes. Maybe they wanted to make Mortis their family home? << But if so, why would they not tell us? >>

And finally, the big day had arrived. Rey and Ben were inside the _Falcon_. Chewie and Rose were assisting with the birth, both of them being the only ones with even remote understanding of these things. C-3PO was supposed to help out (the droids had been turned on immediately once Rey reassured Poe that they would be ok), but he had got on their nerves and Ben had kicked him out of the _Falcon_ without much consideration. Finn could hear Rey’s screams from inside the ship, and that was doing nothing to reassure him. << Why couldn’t we have gone to a medical station somewhere? >> Finn gave another anxious look to the boarding ramp. “Maybe I should go check if they need any help.”

“They will be ok.” Poe put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to kiss him.

There had been several changes in Finn’s life during those few months on Mortis. Learning to use the Force from Rey had definitively been one. He had also developed an unlikely rapport with Ben Solo. But, by far, the most wonderful, unexpected event had been discovering that he was completely in love with Poe Dameron, and that the pilot had been head over heels for him since the day they met. Finn delighted in the feeling of their lips touching, and Poe’s rough stubble against his chin. << Kriff, he is such a good kisser. >> He pressed his body against his, forgetting for a moment everything else that was happening around him.

The surge of emotion in the Force snapped them out of it right before a smiling Rose appeared from inside the _Falcon._

“Hey, you two lovebirds!” She looked absolutely beaming. “The babies are here!”

As if marking her words, the men heard the cries of two babies. They rushed onboard the _Falcon_ with C-3PO right behind them and BB-8 beeping excitedly.

They had placed Rey in the lounge, as the bunks were too small and awkward for everyone that needed to help. The dejarik table was covered with medical supplies. They saw pots with water, and clothes stained with blood. They looked as Chewie cleaned the babies, a boy and a girl, and wrapped them in brown cloths made out of an old blanket. The wookie moved with utmost care as he handed one baby to Ben and one to Rey.

Rey looked absolutely incredible. She was drenched in sweat and her hair was stuck to her face, but Finn thought that she had never looked happier. Ben had his free arm around her, and he was crying and laughing and kissing the top of her head. Their eyes were fixed on the two tiny beings that they had brought into the universe. Finn felt the tears well in his eyes and squeezed Poe’s hand harder, without daring to look away.

He was completely absorbed by the whole scene when he felt the presence of Kanan behind him. The Force spirit was smiling, but he looked…<< Contrite? >>

“Ben, Rey.” He said with a whisper. “It is time.”

Finn saw Ben’s body tense, and Rey’s heartbreak in her eyes.

“It is too soon.” Ben muttered, hurt and anger dripping from each word. For a fleeting moment, Finn thought he saw an old shadow of the man Ben Solo used to be.

“Ben.” Rey whispered. “We’ve been longing and dreading this day. We don’t have time to argue. The longer we wait, the harder it is going to be.”

He gave her an adoring look, and his voice cracked as he whispered to the babies. “Mom and Dad love you so, so much.”

Chewie roared and Rose echoed his confusion. “What is happening?”

Rey raised her eyes towards Finn, and Finn felt the world start to spin under his feet. “Finn. We have a favour to ask of you.” Memories of their training lessons together started running through Finn’s mind. Words and looks that he had not understood before, pieces of a puzzle that were falling into place at that very moment. His mouth was as dry as the Jakku desert, and his heart was beating uncontrollably. He tried to ignore Poe’s eyes on him and Ben’s burning gaze as he approached Rey.

“Ben and I have to stay on Mortis, and we-” She took a deep, painful breath. “We are going to change. In a way that is not compatible with raising kids. Even if there is nothing that we would love more than this.”

“But…”

“I need you to promise me that you will take care of our children. That you will love them, and you will protect them, and you will teach them about the Force. I know it is a huge responsibility, but I also know that there is no one better prepared for this than you.” She looked around the room. “Although I expect Uncle Chewie and the rest to help, too.” She tried to sound light-hearted, but her voice betrayed her sorrow.

The wookie let out a heart-breaking roar and hugged Rose, who was openly weeping at this point.

“Rey.” Finn swallowed hard. His heart was about to explode. “It is an honour. And of course, I will do my absolute best. But I am just an ex-Stormtrooper, I don’t have a family of my own. What surname do I even give them? Solo, Skywalker, Organa…?”

“No.” Ben’s tone was categorical. “The children must be allowed a fresh start without all that… _baggage_.”

Silence fell over the room.

“How about Dameron?”

Finn turned around to find Poe on one knee. He had one arm extended; and his late mother’s wedding ring, which he normally wore on a necklace, was in his hand. Finn’s brain started to short-circuit. Was Poe really suggesting what he thought Poe was suggesting?

“Marry me, General” said the pilot.

<< He really means this. >> Finn looked at Poe, and then at Ben and Rey and the babies, and back at Poe. He was speechless. Eventually, he managed to nod. “Kriff…yes. Of course. Yes!”

Poe got on his feet, cupped his face and kissed him. Finn closed his arms around him, feeling the tears from his own eyes mix with Poe’s. He was the luckiest man in the whole galaxy. He was only barely aware of the Rose’s cheering, and Chewie’s roaring, and Rey laughing and crying.

Eventually he managed to regain enough self-control to stop kissing Poe and take a breath.

“Kriffsake, I thought you would never say yes.” Ben smiled at him. At this point, everyone had tears in their eyes, even Kanan. Very slowly, as if every movement required all the effort in the world, Ben handed the babies to Poe and Finn. “Promise me,” he whispered. “Promise me you’ll take good care of them.”

Finn nodded, marvelling at the tiny fingers of the baby in his arms. She looked at him with wide brown eyes and let out a gurgling sound. In that moment Finn knew he would do absolutely anything for that baby, or for her brother. Finn looked at Rey again. She knew that too.

“They still need first names.” Kanan’s voice once again broke the spell.

“I am not sure I want to know,” said Rey with a pained expression. “I don’t want to make it harder to say goodbye.”

Kanan gave her a knowing look. “Trust me. You need to hear their names.”

She nodded. Finn realised that the room’s attention was back on him.

“Well?” Ben asked with a gruff voice. “You are the father.”

“One of the fathers.” Finn turned to Poe. “You are the one that’s good at giving names. What do you think?”

“The girl’s name is Reia” he said without thinking twice.

“Reia.” Ben said, caressing the girl’s cheek with his finger one last time. “I love it.”

“What about the boy?”

BB-8’s beeping broke the silence.

“They couldn’t possibly!” C-3PO exclaimed in alarm.

“I like it” interrupted Rey. “I like it very much.”

“He has been part of the family since…well, technically before my grandparents even met.”

“He will not believe it when he hears of this” said C-3PO. “His circuits are going to melt.”

“It is decided then.” Poe put his arm around Finn, looking at the babies that were now their family. “Reia and Artur Dameron. Welcome to the world.”

****

Finn, Poe, Rose and Chewie observed from the door as Ben helped Rey down the ramp. Outside the entrance to the temple there was a multitude of Force spirits waiting for them. Several of them, Finn did not recognise and then...

“Leia.”

She waved at them and winked at Poe. Luke Skywalker said goodbye to Chewie. An older spirit with a white beard and a younger man that somehow reminded him of Ben also smiled at them. A little green one shook his walking stick in their direction, before entering the temple holding the arm of a tall Jedi knight with long brown hair. One by one, the spirits disappeared from their view. Kanan let out a sigh before going down the ramp to join them. “If you see Jacen, tell him I said hi.”

Ben and Rey were last to cross the entrance to the temple. They turned around to look at _Millennium Falcon_ one last time.

“Rey!” Finn shouted at her. “May the Force be with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised Stormpilot fluff. Since I saw those two in TFA I have wanted an engagement scene along these lines. I really really hoped against hope that we would see them clearly together and happy by the end of TROS. We were robbed, but we will always have Oscar Isaac fighting the good fight.  
> And since TLJ I have wanted for them to raise the Reylo twin babies while Rey rode off into the sunset, cos somehow that felt very Starwars-y to me. It rhymes. Yes the Skywalker saga is completed, but a new cycle begins. Except this time the twins are not separated, and they are raised by a loving family that helps them deal with the truth when and as they are ready. As for Rey, I don’t know if people will find this ending too melancholic for her. To me, it felt like bringing her full circle.
> 
> Other notes: Chewie is still canonically a family man as per the Wookiepedia, and it is my headcanon that Chewie he has attended many a birth on Kashyyyk. As for the baby names, if we ever get canon Reylo babies (which I would bet, in 10-15 years' time) I feel like I am gonna be disappointed cos I really like mine :P Reia felt like an obvious name Poe and Finn would choose for their daughter, I don't think anyone in- or out-of-universe would be surprised. As for Artur, there are several minor characters with this name, so it is "common" by star wars standards. Out-of-universe it has obvious mythological connections, but really I chose it cos "Arturito" was the original Latin American Spanish dubbing for R2-D2. If Han and Leia named their kid after "Ben" Kenobi, i don't think it is totally OOC for BB-8, Rey and Poe to do this. And R2-D2 is the absolute MVP of the Star Wars universe, he deserves all the honours! Oh, and that last line (like quite a few things in this fic) is definitively a bit meta.
> 
> And that's it! I had a blast writing this fic and got a bit emotional by the end. I hope some of that emotion comes across to any readers out there. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading it!


End file.
